Loving at Lake Vermont
by The-Scarf-of-Sexual-Preference
Summary: When Kurt Hummel takes a position at Lake Vermont Prep School, he expected an ordinary job. He didn't expect a certain curly-haired professor and his daughter to immediately tangle themselves into his life.
1. Chapter 1

"So, the dining hall is on Upper Campus, near the dormitories. You will be living in Westborough Cottage with one other professor, who I'm sure will be willing to introduce you to the rest of the staff. You've already seen the Arts Building, so you should be fine with finding your office. If you have any questions, I left a list of numbers on your door for you to call. I will see you at the staff meeting on Thursday," The elderly secretary busily escorted me out of the room, and that was the entirety of my tour. I squinted out into the sun. Lake Vermont had a huge campus, a lot bigger than my old high school. I figured my cottage would be in the same circle of buildings as the other faculty houses, so I walked in the general direction of where I remembered them to be. Sure enough, the brick cottage farthest from me was labeled Westborough. I fished the key out of the manila envelope they had given me and opened the door. The cottage was a town house, so I had the second floor, another professor lived in the basement, and we shared the first floor, where the kitchen and living room was.

I had not met the other professor when I came to sign my contracts because he was on vacation, but I knew a little about him. He was the school's choir director, voice coach, and a squash coach. Like most teachers, he was also in charge of a number of extracurricular activities.

My moving company had already moved in my furniture, and my boxes were stacked in front of the door. I had yet to look around, so I left them there and scoped out my new house. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchenette, and walk in closet. I decided to use one bedroom as an office, and the smaller one as my bedroom. I took a few hours to arrange my furniture and unpack, and then sat down in my office with a glass of wine. I didn't expect company my first night, so when someone knocked I was in sweatpants and a tank. I ran my hand through my hair, sighed, and walked towards the door.

"Hi! I'm Annabel, I live here too!" The guest was a tiny girl, with beautiful curly brown hair. She looked to be about four years old, and was wearing a bright pink tutu, white frilly socks, and a tiara. As annoyed as I was to be interrupted, the girl was too precious for me to mind.

"Well, hello sweetie. My name is Kurt. How old are you?" I asked. Annabel smiled and ran in the house, plopping down on my office couch. I left the door open, lest an angry mother come looking.

"I'm four and three quarters, but Daddy says I look at least six. Are you going to live here all year? Mrs. Simon lived here, but then she moved to Lewis House, because she didn't like dogs. Do you like dogs? 'Cause daddy has a dog, and I got to name it, so its name is Sparkle." Annabel kept rambling on, and sure enough, I heard footsteps on the staircase. A small, curly-haired man who looked extremely like Annabel knocked on the door.

"Sorry to barge in on you, but have you seen my—oh, Belly there you are." He blushed, "Hun, I told you we needed to let Mr. Hummel move in, and we could meet him tomorrow. I'm sorry, sometimes she just gets so impatient. I'm Blaine, by the way, Blaine Anderson." I reached out to shake his hand and that's when I noticed his gorgeous brown eyes. He smiled sheepishly, showing his dimples.

"I'm Kurt Hummel, and don't worry, she's not bothering me at all."

"See, Daddy! He wanted to meet me. I'm hungry, when's dinner?" Annabel bounded off the couch and grabbed my hand. "Do you wanna come have dinner? Daddy and I are making pizza, and then we're watching a movie, but it's his turn to pick so it's probably boring." I laughed, and shook my head.

"That sounds fun, but I'm sure your father would prefer to spend time with just you."

"No, he doesn't! Right, Daddy? Can't Mr. Hummel come over?" Annabel begged.

"If you're not too exhausted, we would love to have the company. We always end up with too much pizza anyway," he chuckled.

"Well, I was just going to order out anyway. Might as well meet my new neighbors," I said, "Especially if that means I get homemade pizza." Annabel squealed, and led me down the stairs.

"Daddy's getting the oven ready, wanna see my room?" She asked, and pulled me down to the basement before I could answer. She led me through an identically designed house, only it had three bedrooms instead of two. She pulled me to a bright pink room, with a canopy bed and more toys than she could have possibly used.

"This is my room. Daddy and I painted it last year, well, I picked the color and he painted it. And this is Rebecca, my elephant, and this is Princess Sophia," She led me around the room, introducing me to each of her dolls. I was surprised that there were toy cars, and other boy toys in her room. Her room was girly to the extreme, yet she was equally excited about her Transformers and Hot Wheels.

"Wanna play with my Pollies?" She asked, pulling a bucket of Polly Pockets out. I readily agreed, and we began to dress the princesses for the ball. I hadn't played with dolls, or kids to be honest, since my youngest cousin decided she was too cool for 'baby' toys, so I was pretty into it. I didn't notice Blaine until he cleared his throat from where he was standing at the door.

"Annabel, do you want to help with the pizza?" He asked, and Annabel shot up, and ran upstairs. "I hope you don't mind, she's not used to having people around to play with. Our last neighbor hated kids."

"I really don't mind. She's precious." I said, and followed him up the stairs.

"So, what brings you to Lake Vermont? What're you teaching?" Blaine asked.

"Well, I originally got a job as a part-time improv coach, but then the acting teacher retired, so I'm in charge of the theatre department. This is my first job teaching, but Lake Vermont seems like such a great environment, and I love the idea of being on campus with the rest of the kids." We reached the kitchen, and the crust was already laid out, and Annabel was spreading pizza sauce out with a spoon. She hummed along to the radio, to what I recognized was Katy Perry.

"It's all vegan—I hope you don't mind?" Blaine asked, and I smiled, thinking of Rachel.

"That sounds great, actually. My best friend is vegan, so I'm used to it. So, how long have you been here?"

"Since Annabel was two. This was also my first job, because I had stayed home with Annabel until then. We didn't move to campus until last year, though. I'm in charge of the music department, as well as some other random things,"

"Oh? Like what?" We finished decorating the pizza with veggies and soy cheese, and Blaine popped in the oven and set a timer.

"Daddy teaches squash, and he's teaching me, but I let go of my racquet so we had to stop," Annabel interjected, "Since we have someone here, can I pick for movie night? Please? I promise I won't pick Barbie Nutcracker again,"

"Fine, but we're not watching Milo and Otis either," He sighed, and she hugged him before bounding out the room.

"What's wrong with Milo and Otis?" I asked.

"Nothing, except she gets nightmares every time we watch. I don't understand it, I mean, she watches Harry Potter with no problem, but Milo and Otis brings her to tears. It's been her favorite for so long, and I have no idea why." He went to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine, much nicer than what I had been drinking. He gestured toward me, and I nodded, accepting the proffered glass.

"It's nice to have an adult around. Sometimes Annabel can act so grown up, but working with kids, and coming home to one can get pretty lonely." He sighed.

"What about Annabel's mother?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"Oh, Brooke's never really been in the picture. When my sister, Brooke, was sixteen she got pregnant, and didn't want the baby to go to a stranger. I was finally settling down, and a baby was the last thing I expected to come my way. I adopted Annabel, and the original plan was for Brooke to be around Annabel as she grew up. But, Brooke's always been a tad self-centered, and when she got married senior year she pretty much forgot all about Anna. Now, she's just Aunt Brooke to Annabel." He sighed, "I hate that Annabel doesn't have a mother, but to be honest it's nice to have her to myself. Brooke always tried to raise her for me, which got frustrating."

"I'm so sorry; I had no idea…" I mumbled, red-faced and embarrassed. Could this guy get any better? Not only was he the utter personification of sex appeal, but he took in his sister's little kid too?

"It's fine, really. Like I said, it's great to have someone to talk to. But, back to you. Where're you from? I've only heard rumors, but the teachers here are so old that sometimes they jumble things a bit."

"Rumors already? Well, I'm originally from Ohio, but I moved to Boston to live with my grandmother in high school. I graduated from NYU last summer, and now here I am. My dad wanted me to teach at closer to home, so that I could see him more often, but Ohio isn't exactly my favorite place in the world."

"I can imagine. I went to high school in Ohio, and even though I lived in San Francisco during breaks it was rough."

"Where'd you go to school? Have I heard of it?" I asked, wondering why anyone would trade California for Ohio.

"My dad went to Dalton Academy, an all-boys prep school, and so when it came time for me to apply I really didn't have a say."

"I applied there! For high school, that is, my sophomore year. They were full though, so I moved to New York."

"What year?"

"2010, I think."

"I was a senior then. Small world, huh?" He grinned, and popped his head out the kitchen archway. "Well, it looks like Annabel's yet to come to a decision. I'm going to convince her that Fiddler on the Roof is calling her name." I followed him into the living room, where Annabel had opened the movie cabinet and was shuffling through titles.

"Daddy, I think it's Finding Nemo." She grinned, and pressed the movie into his hand.

"But, bugaboo, there's no singing in Finding Nemo." He said as he took the DVD from her hands.

"Yes, there is! There's the swimming song, remember? And, besides, we always watch singing movies," she whined, "I want to see Dory!" She looked up at Blaine with the cutest expression, and he gave in immediately, but not without a show.

"Fine, just this once. But, if we're watching Finding Nemo tonight, then next time we get to watch The King And I," He began to set up the television as the timer beeped. I went to check on the pizza as they bantered on.

It was ready, so I took it out and rummaged through the cabinets until I found plates. I quickly served it up, scurried around until I found napkins, and brought it out. Blaine was in the middle of a conversation with Annabel when I walked in, whispering furiously.

"But why not?" She replied loudly as I set down her plate. Just as I was about to hand Blaine his, she looked up at me.

"Are you gay?" she asked, looking up at me innocently. And really, after that you can't blame me for what happened next. I dropped the plates in my hands on the floor in shock, and they clattered against Blaine's wineglass, shattering it instantly.

"Um, I-well, that is—" I stuttered.

Blaine's was burning up, and he burst out with, "Anna! Room, now!" She started to protest, but Blaine's glare sent her running down the stairs. I blinked down at the mess, and realized what I had done.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" I began, slightly upset. Here I was, a twenty-five year old man, outed by a four year old, and I had no idea what to do. Blaine, still red, cut me off.

"No, I'm so sorry, I'll just get a dustpan. Oh god, I can't believe she… I mean, I'm so sorry." He ran downstairs, probably to get a broom. I was glad that he was gone, as I had never been so uncomfortable in my life. What kind of kid asked strangers about their sexual orientation? What had Blaine said to her to make her ask? If Blaine turned out to be homophobic these next few months would be dreadful. I took the spilt pizza to the kitchen, cursing my girlishly high voice and slight figure, just as Blaine bounded up the stairs with a broom.

"Um, yeah, so that. I'm going to go now, um, sorry about the glass." I mumbled, trying to deepen my voice and edged towards the staircase. I really had no idea what had just happened, and I wanted nothing more than to run upstairs and forget tonight had happened.

"Wait! No, um please, I need to…" He cursed under his breath and pulled a hand through his curls, "Look, I'm really sorry if she made you uncomfortable. She didn't mean anything from it, really. The thing is, a few weeks ago her grandmother made a comment about me being gay, and which Annabel had never known. So she asked questions. Now she pretty much assumes that everyone is gay, because she's only been around me, so she didn't realize some people were straight. And, so she asked me if you were, and I told her to let it go, and then she didn't, and I'm really sorry. She didn't mean to imply—I mean, she was just curious, and—" He rambled, looking horribly guilty.

I couldn't help it—I burst out laughing. Blaine looked up at me with a confused expression. "God, I thought you were some sort of homophobe who trained them young..." I said around chuckles.

Blaine smiled sheepishly, "Nope, I just suck at teaching tact apparently. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Definitely, besides it's not like this is the first time this has happened. Sorry, I totally overreacted." I sighed, and pushed my bangs out of my eyes. "Can we just start over?"

"Sure, this night has been off from the beginning." He raised his voice slightly, "And, I think someone has an apology to make,"

Annabel crept back into the living room. I had a feeling she was still confused about my reaction and I felt horrible for reacting in that way. She was only four after all, and I should have known that she wasn't saying anything out of spite. I really wasn't used to being around people who weren't jerks, I guess. Even in college there had been plenty of stupid people.

"Hey sweetie." I said, "Sorry about that." She sniffled and edged in the room.

"Can I come back?" She asked, and my heart melted. Her dad nodded and we sat back down to watch the movie.


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt Hummel was nervous. Strike that, Kurt Hummel was terrified. I gulped, and told myself to stop narrating, which was my go-to nervous habit. I was prepared. I had spent the entire weekend preparing my office and cleaning my classroom. Everything was perfectly organized. My lesson plans had been ready since this summer, and I was dressed to impress. I had decided to dress more casually than usual, to appear more approachable to the students, but I still had the utmost pride in my appearance today. I had interned, I had worked at summer programs, but I had never taught. I had no idea how I was going to go in front of those kids and act like I had any idea what I was doing. Hence, the unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I grabbed my bag and left the house, locking my door and heading down the stairs. I could hear the bustle of Blaine and Annabel underneath my feet, hurrying to start the day. I walked into the kitchen and saw that there was already coffee brewed, along with a sticky note that said: Have a nice first day, enjoy the coffee—B. It was almost pitiful how much this small gesture meant to me. I had roommates in college, of course but we had simply coexisted more than anything else. I ran upstairs to grab my favorite mug, and when I went back downstairs I was greeted by Annabel, all smiles and giggles. She was perched on top of the kitchen counter with a cup of milk in one hand and was munching on toast, with her father nowhere in sight. Annabel was wearing a bright pink skirt with bedazzled suspenders and a blue t-shirt, along with green tights and knee high orange socks. I guessed that she had dressed herself today.

"H'llo Mr. Hummel! I'm going to kindergarten today, only Daddy says it's not a real garden. It's like preschool but less naps, and I have a brand new lunchbox, and I picked it out, wanna see?" She chattered around bites of toast. She thrust out her blue lunchbox, with Lightening McQueen smiling out at me. "The tag said it was for boys, but Daddy said that colors are for everybody, so it's okay that it's blue. Because I like the Cars movie," she grinned and leaned forward, whispering loudly, "Even if there isn't singing." She continued rambling on and swinging her legs as I fixed my coffee. I certainly wasn't used to being around this much energy this early in the morning, but somehow I didn't mind.

"Did you pick out your outfit today?" I asked. I knew it wasn't any of my business, but my inner fashion guru was growling at the mismatched colors.

"Yes, Daddy said I could, but no tutus or capes. Which is silly, because how can I do anything without a cape? And, tutus are a necesily." She said.

"I think you mean necessity, hun," Blaine said as he walked up the stairs from his basement apartment, "And what did I tell you about sitting on the counters?" He reached forward and plucked her off of the counter.

If, after the revelation that Blaine was gay, I expected him to have even a minor awareness of fashion, I was sorely mistaken. He was wearing a bright blue suit, with a hot pink bowtie. I winced inwardly. It seemed that Annabel was not the only Anderson in need of a personal stylist.

"Thank you so much for the coffee." I said, as I straightened my bag. "I'm going to head over to my classroom for a few last minute preparations. Good luck today, Annabel," She skipped over to me and gave me a hug goodbye. It was a testament to how quickly she was growing on me that I didn't wince at her sticky fingers brushing against my shirt. Blaine smiled at me, and I headed out the door.

It wasn't that I was trying to be unsociable. In fact, I had made the effort to great Blaine every time I saw him in passing this weekend. However, there was still so much lingering awkwardness from the incident on Friday. I believed Blaine, and I knew Annabel was only curious, but the entire situation made me uncomfortable. I wasn't sure how to move on past the initial misunderstanding, and I certainly wasn't used to being around kids. I wanted Blaine and Annabel to like me, but I wasn't sure just what the boundaries were yet. How do you go about befriending a single parent who just happens to share your kitchen?

I tried to push those thoughts out of my head as I walked across campus to the Arts Building. I felt the nerves flutter back, but I refused to let them consume me. The Arts Building was a huge, semicircle shaped building with glass windows all along the front. I noticed a small, black motorcycle parked haphazardly up against the walls. I walked around it, and inside. My office was right in the entryway, off of the lobby, but my class room was in the basement. I had a small room, much like the dance studios I was used to. There were mirrors along a wall so the kids could watch themselves, studio lights above, and the acoustics were terrible. It was perfect.

I had decided on simple ice-breaker games for the first day, since the classes were shorter than normal. I pulled out some normal sized acting boxes and set up the scenario for my favorite improv game, Park Bench. I knew the kids would love it, so now there was little to do but wait. I considered going to my office, but I didn't want to seem stuffy. I had thirty or so minutes, so I headed to the teachers' lounge.

I had yet to meet any of the other teachers besides Blaine and the yoga instructor, Halley, who had helped me clean out my office that weekend. So, I wasn't sure what to expect. When I entered, the first thing I noticed was that Blaine wasn't kidding—the teachers were all old people. There were three people in the room, and they each looked old enough to be my grandparents. They were sitting around a table in comfortable-looking chairs, sipping drinks and laughing about something. There were two women, who were practically draped over an older man's lap, clinging to his every word.

"Well, you must be the new department head. I'm Noah Puckerman, but I go by Puck," the man said, and offered out a wrinkled hand. I then met the other ladies, who turned out to be the secretary and an architectural design teacher. Puck seemed to be quite the charmer, and I had a hard time not laughing at the ladies' ridiculous attempts for his attention. He was quick to inform me that the bike outside was his, although he insisted upon calling it a Crotch Rocket. He was officially the most adorably perverted old man I'd ever met, and I had a feeling that we would get along great. After a few minutes of small talk, I excused myself back to my classroom, where kids were starting to pile in.

I had five classes today, and my beginners' class was first. They were tiny freshmen, all in brand new matching uniforms. It was actually hard to tell them apart, but I was sure I'd get the hang of it after a few weeks. They were all excited about Lake Vermont, excited about Theatre class, and extremely hyper. We settled into a circle, and did a quick introduction game to learn names. I tried my hardest to remember, but once again, the uniforms made them all blur together. There were a few kids that stuck out though, like the little girl that was so short she looked like she was seven, and the huge boy whose voice was deeper than mine (not like that's saying much).

Everyone seemed to open up during Park Bench, which was exactly what I was expecting. Park Bench was the most uncomfortably amusing game, which was what made it so wonderful. Two people sit down at a park bench. They are complete strangers, and the object of the game is to make the other person so uncomfortable that they leave. Later on in the day, I would have to set strict boundaries for what was and wasn't appropriate, but with the freshmen I let them go at it. Some of the kids said the funniest things, like the boy who asked the girl next to him if she would help him remove his tampon, or the girl who simply sat down and talked to herself in different voices sending the other kid running.

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, with the one exception being lunch. I had almost forgotten that Blaine was my mentor. All new teachers got a mentor for the first trimester of school to help them adjust to teaching at Lake Vermont, and since I lived with Blaine, it had seemed fitting that he be my mentor. He came over to my room at noon with that cheesy grin on his face, all boyish charm.

"So, I'm heading to lunch. Want me to help you find the Dining Hall?" He asked. I was really glad he offered, because up to that point I had no idea how the lunch process worked. We headed across campus, closer to the main office buildings where I had first been interviewed. There was a large building with a marble staircase, and Blaine led me up the steps. When we entered, I gasped.

Up to this moment, I had known that Lake Vermont was a nice school. I had seen parts of the campus, and they were all immaculately groomed. But, that was nothing compared to the Dining Hall. There were chandeliers, and instead of the long tables at most high schools, there were dozens of small, circular tables. The tables were gorgeous, shining redwood, and they all circled around a great big fireplace in the center of the room. It wasn't lit, but it still made the room feel cozier. The room was lined with huge, two story windows that looked out on the grounds.

"Wow," I murmured.

"I know, it's amazing right? I've been here two years and it's still breath taking. Come on, food's this way," he led me to a room off of the main hall. It resembled a mall food court, with different stations lining the room and drinks in the middle. I headed to the salad bar and then followed Blaine out, back to the main room. "The teachers usually sit in this section," he told me, "But, sometimes the kids will ask us to sit with them."

We approached a table and sat, Blaine making introductions. I only caught a few names, but I grinned at the realization that Puck was there. He smiled, and ruffled Blaine's hair, which was a feat considering the amount of gel that he used.

"Hey, Hobbit. I haven't seen that little princess of yours in a while. When're you gonna bring her to see me?" Puck asked. "Annabel used to come to visit every afternoon. I was going to teach her to drive my Crotch Rocket."

"That, Noah, is exactly why Annabel hasn't been to see you. She's four. And, I specifically told you not to give her a ride." Blaine said sternly.

"I told you I was going to show her! You said it was okay!" Puck protested, shoveling in French fries. Puck may have been in his late sixties, but he still seemed to have the appetite of a teenager.

"Yes, and you and I both know that showing her was all I agreed too. Now, calm down and finish your lunch, old man," Blaine teased. It was nice, sitting around the small table. The teachers seemed to be welcoming, and I immediately felt at home. Puck and Blaine spent the entire time grumbling at each other, while a few ladies cooed over Puck. Kurt commented every now and again, but he mainly reveled in the feeling of belonging.

"Kurt? Are you listening?" Blaine asked, as he got up to leave. "I said, we should probably head back over."

"Sorry, I zoned out for a second." I hurried along beside him, desperately trying to keep up. He sure walked fast for someone with such short legs!

"Only noon and you're already tired? Well, just wait until the end of the day," he laughed, "Anyway, Annabel and I are going to go out for ice cream today, to celebrate our first days. Want to come with? My treat," I started to protest, and he winked, "Trust me, after dealing with the seniors; you'll be begging me for comfort food."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thanks for all of the reviews/alerts! I'm going to try to keep updating at least once a week, but I have a performance coming up so I'm super busy. I got a tumblr recently and I might post drabbles/fic-related news there. You might want to check it out, the link is on my profile. I'd love it if you could drop a review, just to let me know what you're thinking. Sorry it's so short, but I wanted to post something while I had the time. Oh, and I don't own Glee, or anything else that you recognize. **

The first week of classes had flown by, and I was settling into a routine quickly. Each morning I would go downstairs, drink my coffee while Annabel chattered about nonsensical things, and then walk over to my classroom. Blaine and I would meet up with Puck for lunch, and then after work I would relax in my room with a glass of wine and a warn-out copy of Pride and Prejudice. All in all, it had been a pretty stress free week, except for Thursday.

As the department head, I was in charge of running a weekly department meeting on Thursdays. After our early morning all faculty meeting, we broke up into departments. I had a bulleted list of topics that the headmaster wanted me to touch up upon, but I mainly was going to use this meeting to get to know my department. The Arts Department was divided into a few smaller departments—visual arts, performing arts, and music. I had met Blaine and a few other faculty members from the music department, but I hadn't met any of the people in my branch.

"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel. I graduated from NYU, and I'm the new department head. I also teach Theatre Arts, give acting lessons, and am going to start a new Improv Club. I'm living in Westborough Cottage, but my office is in The Arts Center, right off of the lobby. Feel free to come and find me if you need anything, okay?" I began. I wasn't sure exactly what I was doing, but I figured that as long as I faked it well enough no one would care.

There were nine faculty members in the performing arts department. There were two dancing instructors, two directing teachers, a stagecraft instructor, and three guys that worked in costuming and props. One of the dancing instructors was Polish and barely spoke any English. Her name was Brittany Pierce and she seemed like a sweet woman, but some of the things she said made no sense. She asked me if I was part dolphin in the middle of the meeting, and I had no idea how to respond to that. The only other guy that stuck out was named Collin and in costuming. He was dressed fabulously, in Marc Jacobs newest line. I had a feeling that we would hit it off.

I was almost done reviewing the School Board's newest policies on bullying when I was interrupted. The door banged open and a man sauntered in. He was dressed impeccably and had the most annoying smirk on his face. I looked down at the pile of papers in my hands. "Um, and you are?" I asked.

"Sebastian Smyth. Acting teacher, ex-Broadway star, singer extraordinaire, among other things," He said, with a smirk, "And, who exactly are you?"

"I'm the department head, and I would appreciate it if you could arrive on time to department meetings in the future. Okay, where were we—"

"_You're_ the guy they hired to replace Shuester?" He said, incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me."

I was beginning to get pissed. There was something about Sebastian's perfectly coifed hair and cocky grin that made me want to claw his eyes out. "Okay, if you're done I'd like to wrap up this meeting before first period starts." I said, effectively shutting him up. I tried to ignore the smirks and snorts coming from his direction, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. I almost exploded after the meeting when he came up to me.

"So, you obviously need some help. I can tell you've got no idea what you're doing, so why don't you sit the next meeting out, and I'll take over. You can watch and take notes. I'm also willing to mentor you; I'm sure the classroom is just one of the many areas you need tutelage in." He said suggestively. I couldn't help the blush that spread across my checks or the torrent of words that came out.

"Look, Mr. Smyth, I understand that you don't respect me because I'm new, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm your superior." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before I said something that I would regret. "I expect to see you at each meeting on time, and I expect you to treat me with the respect that my position deserves. Now, I think you should go to your first class, I have something to discuss with Headmaster Douglass." I said, and whipped around on my heel and left the room. I didn't actually have anything to tell the headmaster, but I was so furious I knew I needed to leave before things got out of hand. Who did he think he was?

At lunch I sat with Blaine, Puck, and Brittany at what had become our table. There were a few elderly Spanish teachers, who were draped on Puck, as usual. "How's your day been, Kurt?" Puck asked me in between bites of his burger. "You look like someone just stabbed a puppy in front of you."

"Thank you for that beautiful mental picture, Noah," Blaine said, "But you're right, Kurt, you look exhausted. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, I just… Well, I lead my first department meeting today." I explained, "And it seems I've already made enemies."

"Let me guess, you mean that slutbag, Sebastian," Puck groaned, "That guy is such a dick, and that's coming from me. Did you know that he asked Blaine to—"

"Noah!" Blaine yelped, "I thought we agreed that we don't mention that! Besides, at least he doesn't get drunk at alumni events and strip to Cher."

"That was one time!" Puck grumbled, "And you know I looked sexy doing it." The women next to him erupted into a fit of giggles and scooted closer to him. "But, that's not the real problem. Sebastian's just miffed because he thinks he deserved to be promoted to department head."

"That makes sense. I mean, it is strange that they hired someone new instead of someone who has been here a while." Blaine said, "Not that I don't think you can handle it, Kurt. I believe in you," he said with a grin.

"Sebastian isn't a very good dolphin. He licked my ear once." Brittany said. I blinked and nodded, which seemed to be the only appropriate response to anything the bizarre woman ever said.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry I haven't updated in forever! Like I said before, opening night was this weekend for a show I'm in. This meant that I had absolutely no free rime. But, after the show I was so excited that I couldn't sleep, and this happened. Enjoy, my lovelies! _

"How was your second week, kiddo?" my dad asked, his voice slightly more loud than necessary for our Skype conversation.

"Well, other than when I got lost on the way to the health center, this week went rather well. My students are so energetic, and for the most part they all seem to be enjoying my class." I smiled, thinking about that afternoon. "My beginners' class is preparing monologues for our mock auditions next Friday. It's been fun finding monologues that my students can connect with. They all seem psyched about the monologues they've chosen—except for one of my students, Valerie. She's this tiny little thing, super shy. She's bright and seems to enjoy theater, but I can't seem to get her to leave her shell. She loves improv games, but when it comes to her monologue she doesn't seem to fit with any of the parts. She can act, I'm almost sure, but she either doesn't have the confidence or she just can't relate to the parts I find for her," I sighed. "I just feel like I owe it to her to find something!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sure that must be frustrating." my dad said. He never really understood the 'theater thing', but he had heard enough of my rants throughout college to know how hard it could be. "What're you going to do?"

"Well, I could always ask the other theater teacher for help, but..."

"But you don't want to admit to Sebastian that you might not know how to handle this?" my dad asked knowingly.

"I just don't want to give him another reason to feel superior. I know that I can find something for Valerie. I'll just have to look harder. But, enough about that. How's Carole? How's the shop?" I asked, not so subtly changing the subject.

"Carole's great. She made that recipe you suggested the other night. The chicken thing?"

"Chicken cordon bleu?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Sure tasted great for something that sounds so fancy. But she said it was easy to make. Oh, and she started a Zumba class on Wednesday. She said it's nice, but she almost passed out after her first class." he chuckled. "Everything's running smooth as usual at the shop. Finn's been helping out a lot, and I figure he'll be ready to take over in a year or so. Jake and the guys say hey. And Jake wants to know when you're gonna call him back. He said something about a baby shower?"

"He got roped into helping with Jennifer's baby shower. Which means he's been calling me nonstop for advice. Tell him I'll call him on Sunday, okay?" Jake was one of my favorite employees at Hummel Tires and Lube. He had helped me practice for every show I had ever auditioned for in middle school, and I was thrilled to help him plan his daughter's baby shower. He was old enough to be my father, but somehow we had stayed close friends even after I had moved to live with my grandmother. "Speaking of babies, did I mention that Blaine has a daughter?"

"Only a dozen times! I'm surprised; kids have never really been your thing. But you seem pretty taken with this girl."

It was true. I had only seen Annabel on occasion before I left for work, but I already was quite attached. Blaine had invited me to movie night again the week before, but I had turned it down for a chance to catch up on some last minute lesson plans. I'd considered going tonight, but Blaine hadn't mentioned it. "She's just so precious that's hard not to! Yesterday I ran into her as she was getting back from her gymnastics lessons and she and Blaine were in a debate over whether or not Mulan was a real princess or not. She's so intelligent for a four year old it's incredible! I swear my life would be so much easier if my students were half as brilliant as she is! And Blaine is so good with her. They play this game where Annabel hides her face when they're cuddling and Blaine pretends he can't find her. She squeals and giggles, 'I'm here, Daddy!' and Blaine just plays off of it. It's so adorable."

"Seems like you're taking to Blaine as well. Is there anything I should know?"

"Dad!" I yelped with a blush, "I've only known him for a few weeks! Of course there's nothing going on." My dad nodded, but I could tell that part of him still hoped that I would settle down. I knew that my dad only wanted the best for me, but that didn't make his meddling any less annoying.

My father and I talked until Carole got back from work. It was nice to get to see him so happy. When I had moved to Boston sophomore year it had been necessary, but I still had felt guilty leaving my father alone in his poor health. If I had known about his heart problems then I never would have taken Grandmother's offer to live with her. Carole had been there for him every step of the way, though. It was so romantic: the story of the sweet nurse who had fallen for her patient as she helped him recover from his heart attack. Someday, I told myself when I got depressed, I would get the storybook romance that they had.

I juggled between watching a rerun of Say Yes to the Dress and searching for the perfect monologue for Valerie when I noticed how chilly the room had gotten. It had been moderately warm that afternoon, so I was shocked when I walked over to the thermostat next to the window. It was in the thirties—much too cold for early September. I was debating whether or not I should hide out in bed from the cold when I was interrupted by a knock at my door. I opened the door to a bubbly Annabel in Batman footie pajamas.

"Mr. Hummel! It's cold outside, and Daddy's making cocoa with kush-kush-kush! Do you want some?" She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs. "It's really yummy, and Daddy said we can use real milk because cocoa smells funky with the other stuff."

"I thought you were vegan." I asked Blaine when I entered the kitchen behind a bouncing Annabel. "And what's kush-kush-kush?"

"We try to be. Annabel's doctor said it might help with the hyperactivity, but I figure it's alright to splurge once and again. And, kush-kush-kush is an Anderson family tradition. You'll see in a minute. Be patient," he said with a wink as he stirred the cocoa on the stove. I grinned as I realized that he was in matching Batman sleep pants and a Lake Vermont hoodie. I felt overdressed in my work clothes.

"Give me a minute, and I'll run and change in to my pajamas too, okay?" I told Annabel. I ran upstairs and slipped on my warmest pair of pajamas that were presentable. I considered forgoing slippers, but it was chilly enough that I knew I would regret it.

"It's like a slumber party!" Annabel squealed when I returned. "We can stay up all night and play dress up! But wait!" She pulled into the living room. "You need to meet Sparkle. He's my puppy." Curled up on the couch was the tiniest little ball of fur I'd ever seen. He had fluffy tan fur with dark brown ears. I knelt down to pet him and he jumped up. He licked at my fingers, wagging his small tail so hard that his entire body shook.

"Ah, I see Annabel introduced you to Spark." Blaine said when he entered the room later with two mugs of cocoa.

"Daddy! That's not his name and you know it." Annabel pouted at Blaine. "Daddy doesn't like Sparkle's name. He said that it's not a good dog name. But, I got to pick so it's fair, and Sparkle likes his name." Blaine chuckled and handed Annabel a plastic mug. "Daddy, where's the kush-kush-kush?"

"Let me give Mr. Hummel his first, okay hun?" Blaine said as he handed me the other mug, a bright pink Hello Kitty mug with a glittery handle. He went back into the kitchen and returned with his mug and a can of Reddi Whip. "This," he explained, gesturing to the can, "Is kush-kush-kush. Annabel hates Cool Whip, you know, the kind in a bowl? And so she was trying to tell me to get Reddi Whip instead once, but she forgot what it was called."

"So, I said kush-kush-kush, 'cause that's what it sounds like when it comes out of the can!" Annabel exclaimed, obviously proud of her contribution to the story.

I giggled at the antidote and accepted the proffered squirt of Reddi Whip. Annabel and Blaine bantered over how much whipped cream she was allowed to have, until Blaine gave in and gave her a little extra, along with a dollop on her nose. She spent the next five minutes trying to lick it off, much to the amusement of Blaine and myself. It was so precious to watch him interact with Annabel. I could tell that she was his world by the way his eyes lit up every time she spoke to him and the way he curled her into his lap.

Annabel slurped up her cocoa, getting whipped cream all over her face. She chattered on and on about her school and her ice skating lessons. She gradually began talking slower and slower, until finally breaking off with a yawn. Blaine glanced at the clock on the mantle and said, "Bellaboo, it's past your bedtime. Tell Mr. Hummel goodnight, okay?" Annabel pouted, but followed Blaine downstairs after giving me a hug goodnight. I gathered up the mugs and brought them to the sink. I hummed to myself as I washed the mugs and put them away. I was pouring the left over cocoa into a Tupperware container when Blaine returned after putting Annabel to bed. He popped into the kitchen with a smile. "I was right. The sugar knocked her out." He sat down on top of the counter and I couldn't help but giggle. Even on the counter he still had to look up at me. I finished putting away the cocoa and headed to the living room couch.

"I don't know about you, but I prefer sitting on a couch like a normal human," I teased. Blaine followed after me and flopped down on the couch next to me.

"So, how was your week? I never got to schedule a mentor meeting with you, so if you don't mind we could do that now." Blaine suggested.

"Sure, I wasn't planning on doing much else tonight. This week was fine, I suppose. I'm still trying to get used to the campus, but I'm getting a lot better with all of my student's names."

"I knew you would. It takes time but by next month you'll know more than you ever wanted to about your students," he said with chuckle. "Are you having any issues? Need any help?"

I sighed. I knew that as my mentor Blaine was there to help me, but that didn't make it any easier to admit that I was having problems. "There are a few things, but it's fine, really." I tried to escape his knowing glance.

"Kurt. Come on, just tell me." Blaine smiled at me, that little lopsided grin that did things to me that I tried to ignore. I might as well get it over with.

"I'm preparing my beginners class for future auditions by making them chose monologues to perform next week. I'm having trouble finding something for one of my students. It's like there's some sort of barrier that is preventing her from opening up. So that's been bothering me."

"Who is it?" Blaine asked, "Maybe I can help you figure something out."

"Valerie Bradley. She's in my beginner's class." Blaine's eyes widened in realization. He pursed his lips.

"I think I know a way you can help her. But I'm not sure if I can tell you. I'm the faculty advisor of a club that Valerie attended last year, and that's given me some insight, I suppose you could say. But the things she told me were told in confidence, so I don't feel like I can tell you without breaking her trust. I have a feeling that it might have an effect on connecting with roles. Can you tell me what monologues you've tried with her?"

I quickly rambled off the dozen or so monologues we had worked with, and Blaine nodded.  
>"If you want, I'll ask her to talk to you about it. Either that, or I'd advise you to try and be observant in class."<p>

"I don't want her to feel obligated to tell me anything. I'll just see if I can pick up anything on my own. Is there anything I should be worried about?"

"No. While the situation is a delicate one, I trust that you'll handle it well. But Valerie wasn't the only thing on your mind, was it?" Blaine leaned back into the couch, crossing his legs.

"You read me too well! I swear; it's like you're my Dad or something. I just, I really want to try and handle this on my own." I had a feeling that Blaine wasn't going to let me drop the subject that easily. Sure enough, he was rolling his eyes as soon as the words left my lips.

"Kurt, don't be ridiculous. It's my job to help you. I swear, if I haven't had Puck mentoring me I would have never survived my first year. As much as I hate the geezer, he made the transition so much easier for me." It was easy to imagine Puck lecturing Blaine about school regulations—and how to break them. I could only imagine at how interesting that must have been.

"Okay, okay. I'm just having issues with Sebastian Smythe again. Nothing serious, but it sure makes my work harder. How am I supposed to earn the respect of my students if the faculty thinks I'm a joke? I've only run into him a few times, apart from our weekly meetings, but he's always giving me these _looks. _Like, _you and I both know you don't deserve your job._" I groaned, annoyed with myself for agreeing with him.

"That's Sebastian for you. I know that he can be a tough person to deal with, but it's understandable. Everyone thought that he had your job in the bag, so it was a pretty hug surprise when you showed up. I don't think that he could have handled the job, but he doesn't agree, obviously. I think that Sebastian, as well as the majority of the department, just need to realize that you do know what you're doing. I've heard the kids talk about your class, Kurt. They love you. My advice? Find a way to bring together the department while you show that you're capable. The faculty has lost its sense of community—bring it back." Blaine smiled, and got up from the couch. "Is there anything else? Annabel has a playdate tomorrow, and I need to get the house presentable."

"Not really. Thanks, Blaine. This was nice."

"Anytime! Like I said, it's great to have another adult in the house. Oh, and I'm going to warn you know, Annabel's friend will be over by noon. I'll try to keep the noise down, but you never know with that one." He laughed.

"Thanks for the heads up. Goodnight." I walked upstairs slowly. I had started to get an idea for how I could bring together the department. It would be complicated, and require a lot of effort, but I was sure Blaine would back me up on it. Now if I could only pass it by Sebastian, and the rest of my department. I hurried to my laptop and began planning. If this worked out, the next few weeks were going to be crazy busy!


	5. Chapter 5

The next week flew by. I had scarcely finished my day at work when I would head home, trying to finalize my plans. Blaine had been right—I needed to do something that not only showed my authority but also brought together my department. However, I was beginning to think that it wasn't just my department that could use a sense of comradeship. All of the Arts Departments worked in the same area, with the same students. Wouldn't it be great to bring all of us together? I thought so, which is why I decided that Lake Vermont needed to do something extra special this year—a musical production.

It wasn't that Lake Vermont never did plays. Once a term there would be a minor production, but it only contained theater students. With a musical, we could involve all of the departments. The theater kids could act; the music kids could sing and play in the orchestra; the visual arts kids could help with props. In fact, there would be more than enough opportunities for anyone who wanted to participate. In order to make them want to, though, it had to be good. A show that everyone would want to be a part of—a show that changed lives. I knew I was probably going overboard, but it was hard to reign myself in when inspiration struck.

I would have to turn in a proposal to the headmaster to be approved, and then discuss this with each of the department heads. I was not especially nervous, considering the department heads were Blaine and Puck. The only thing that would be an issue was Sebastian. I had decided that the only way to settle things with him would be to give him an equal part in the process, co-director. If he agreed, we would spend countless hours together, which would give us a chance to settle our differences. Or kill each other, I thought with a smile.

One night in the middle of my last few edits on my proposal, I was interrupted by Rachel calling. It was not often that we managed to talk, so I quickly answered my cell.

"Kurt?" It was Rachel, my best friend and ex-roommate. I knew why she was calling. She had been harassing me to come visit her for ages. She had gotten her first role on Broadway, as a munchkin in Wicked. I'd been trying to get back to New York for weeks so that I could see her. "So, have you been thinking of when you can come up?" She asked.

"About that, I think I can come soon. There's a trip to the city in a few weeks, and I'm going to ask to chaperone. I'll see your show, and then we can catch up over dinner. I've got so much to tell you!" I exclaimed. Rachel was the Elphaba to my Galinda, and I missed talking to her every day.

"Yay! We can go out to dinner, and I'll invite Jackie. I know that you've been dying to meet her… So, how's life as a responsible adult treating you? Have you killed any midgets yet?"

I giggled, "Not yet, though the thought has occurred once or twice. But right now, I'm in the middle of a huge project," I quickly summarized my plans on a musical for Rachel. "What do you think?"

"I think that's great! But, do you think you can handle it? You don't want to overstretch yourself during your first year."

"I know, I know. But, you know how I am. I'm happiest when I'm so busy I forget to breathe."

"True. I remember coming home after rehearsals to find you asleep at the computer. You never know when to stop. I worry, hon. It's not healthy! Now, enough about that, tell me about the hottie who lives downstairs!" Rachel insisted. I blushed, thankful that Rachel couldn't see. I was beginning to fall for Blaine, it was true, but I hated that I had become so transparent.

"There's not much to tell. Blaine's a sweet guy, but he's just my coworker. Nothing more. Besides, I think Sebastian has his eyes on him." I scowled. Things with Sebastian had calmed slightly, but he still irritated me. He had begun to sit at our table at lunch time, and his flirting with Blaine had not gone unnoticed. Except, it seemed, to Blaine, who was oblivious to most things. Puck was having fun at his expense, although you could tell that he had also had enough of Sebastian.

Rachel and I talked for an hour or so, trading gossip and laughing over the craziness that happened backstage at the Gershwin Theater. She seemed excited by my ideas for a musical, and had convinced me that I should tell Blaine about my progress. I had already begun brainstorming ideas for a show, but now I felt like I need some more input. I went downstairs, hoping to run into Blaine and show him my proposal. I'd yet to bring it up with him, wanting to wait until I had figured everything out.

Blaine wasn't in the living room, but Annabel was. She was sprawled on the floor scribbling on a huge piece of butcher paper frantically. I knelt down to glance at her drawing.

"Mr. Hummel! I haven't seen you in a million years!" She said. "Want to color with me?"

"Actually, I'm looking for your Daddy. Do you know where he is?" I asked.

"He's stinky! So he's taking a bath, because you get a time out if you skip a bath." She said knowledgeably. I set my laptop on the couch and sat gingerly on the carpet.

"I guess I can color with you until he gets out, okay?" I said. Annabel smiled and handed me a pink crayon. I scooted down to a blank section of the paper and began to sketch abstractly.

"Do you think it looks like a turtle?" Asked Annabel, gesturing to her squiggles. I glanced at the drawing critically. If you squinted, and turned your head—nope, it still didn't look like anything.

"Definitely!" I lied.

"Darn! I was drawing a princess," she sighed, "But that's okay. I'll add a tiara and then it has to be a princess." I couldn't argue that logic, so I just nodded. It was interesting to be around Annabel. She said the most ridiculous things with the most serious expressions. She seemed to have her own entire personality, but there were still things that were so utterly _Blaine _in her. When she looked at someone like they were being ridiculous, she had the same expression that I had noticed on Blaine every time he looked at Puck. When she drew, she played with her curls just like Blaine did when he was concentrating.

"Did you know that snakes eat mice-ickles?" she asked without looking up from her drawing. "Those are like popsicles, 'cept for snakes to eat. And Miss Holiday let Jesse feed Snuffles mice-ickles on Friday. I was too scared, and Jesse said that means I'm a baby. But I'm not, because I don't even wear diapers anymore." She babbled more about her school. It was impossible not to enjoy Annabel's explanations of life. Understanding what she was trying to say sometimes took a little while, but when I did it was always worth it.

"Who's Jesse?" I asked, still focused on my cartoon version of Mother Monster.

"Jesse's my bestest friend. He's six!" She exclaimed. "He's super smart, 'cause he's a big kid. He comes over sometimes, but he doesn't like to play Barbies. He says they're for girls. But Daddy isn't a girl, and he loves to play!" I chuckled at the idea of Blaine playing with Barbies. He would probably throw all of his energy into it, like he did with everything else.

"Anna? Who're you talking to?" Blaine's voice called up as he ascended the stairs. "Oh, hey Kurt!" Blaine was wearing a wife beater and snug gray sweatpants. Water droplets fell down his neck, dampening his shirt. I held back a groan. It wasn't fair. Why hadn't I had ended up with Puck living with me, instead of this gorgeous man that was so far out of my league it hurt? Blaine, as always, was oblivious to my struggles, and walked over to where Annabel and I were coloring. He bent down behind me and peered at our picture. It took all of my self-control not to lean into his warmth. This was getting ridiculous!

"Annabel, this is great! Do I get to put it up on the fridge?" Asked Blaine with a smile.

"Mr. Hummel? Can Daddy put up our picture?" Annabel asked. I nodded, and Annabel grinned. "Okay Daddy! But, first, we have to sign it!" She scribbled out her name in sloppy letters across the bottom of the paper. "Now you," She said, gesturing at me. I autographed it with a flourish, and Blaine took it. He went to the kitchen to put it up, and I reached out to grab my computer.

"Hey, Anna? Can I talk to your Dad for a minute?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll go play, and you can come when you're done!" She said, before running downstairs.

"Where'd she run off to?" Blaine asked as he returned. He sat down on the couch next to me, and I opened up my laptop.

"Her room, I'm guessing. Do you have a sec? I'd like to show you something." I handed him my laptop, which was opened to the proposal I had worked so hard on. "I've been thinking about what you said, and I think I've got an idea that could work."

Blaine read through my work silently, a grin growing on his face. "This is a great idea! We've never tried something like this, but I'm sure this is exactly what we need to bring the departments together. You're going to let me help, right?" He asked, already bouncing slightly in his seat. "Oh my god, I have so many great ideas! Have you thought of what we should perform?"

"Calm down! I still have to get Headmaster Douglass to approve it! Of course, I'd love for you to help. Someone has to teach the kids to sing, after all. But, do you think Sebastian will be willing to work with me?" I asked. "I'm kind of worried that he'll think it's a stupid idea."

"Sebastian may be a little rough around the edges, but he'd do anything for those kids. He'll take some convincing, but when he sees how well you've planned this out he'll be begging to be a part of this. I'll talk to him, if you want. As for Headmaster Douglass, this is exactly what he wanted from the new department head. He's going to be thrilled that you've put so much effort into this. When are you going to present it?" He asked.

"Well, I was thinking that I'd do it at this weeks' faculty meeting." I said.

"Sounds great! I do have a few edits, though, if you don't mind?" He asked. We went over my proposal for a while, fixing things up and making it perfect. While finishing it up, the subject of the trip to New York came up.

"I've been trying to get back to the city for weeks, so I'm thinking of chaperoning. Do you know what all is required?" I asked.

"I've chaperoned a few trips, but never an overnight one, so I'm not sure. I was actually going to go, though, so I can sign you up if you want. They usually just ask us to have our cells on us at all times in case a kid has an emergency. Other than the nightly check-ins, not much else is required. Since we have that Friday off, I think we would be leaving early in the morning so we could get there at about noon. Then we stay in the hotel that night, and leave early Sunday morning. There's an informational meeting this Saturday." He explained. I was so excited. This week I would pitch my idea for the musical, and then in two weeks I'd get to see Rachel. I'd really missed New York, so it would be great to go back.

Blaine was right. Headmaster Douglas was thrilled with my proposal, and after the faculty meeting a swarm of teachers surrounded me. It seemed that everyone wanted to be a part of Lake Vermont's first ever musical. Sebastian was even excited about it, and he readily agreed to co-direct. Mike and Brittany had agreed to choreograph, Puck wanted to have his students design sets, and Blaine was recruiting the orchestra to play.

We had our first meeting the afternoon after getting it approved. There were about fifteen teachers there. We slowly began to plan out specifics. We decided that we could have rehearsals after school, during normal sports hours. Headmaster Douglass had agreed to let the kids skip a sports requirement if they were cast, so there would be no problems in that regard. Since the majority of the teachers were already involved in extracurricular activities at that time, we decided that we wouldn't all attend each rehearsal. Wednesdays, for example, would be focused only on choreography, and only Mike and Brittany would be required to be there. However, since I didn't have any commitments yet, being a new teacher, it was decided that I would attend all rehearsals.

The hardest part turned out to be deciding on a musical to perform. We had already figured out a performance date, reserving the theater for the weekend in March, but agreeing on a musical was a lot more complicated. I had voted for Chicago, but that was quickly shot down. Everyone thought that we should do something family-friendly for a first show. It was actually Sebastian that settled it. He suggested Fiddler on the Roof, and even I had to admit that it was a great idea. It was a classic, and it would be sure to appeal to everyone. I would immediately start to work on getting the permission, and ordering scripts.

I knew that the next few weeks were going to be busy, preparing for the musical. There was so much planning that needed to be completed before we could even begin the audition process, so I was glad that I would be taking the trip to New York next weekend. It would probably be my last chance to relax in a long time!

_Once again, thanks for all of the reviews/follows! Also, I've been thinking of switching to Blaine's POV for a future chapter. Thoughts?_


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, everybody, pile in!" Blaine called out, with much more enthusiasm than healthy for so early in the morning. New York City was four hours and forty-five minutes away from Lake Vermont's campus, which was located right on the outskirts of Rutland, Vermont. Since it was a long weekend, most of the students who lived close by had gone home. Of the kids that were staying, around twenty had signed up for the New York trip.

Annabel stumbled in the bus groggily, and Blaine laid her out on an empty row of seats. She was curled up with a blanket and asleep before we finished loading the bus. Blaine and I took the two seats across from her and stored away our bags. After a quick head count, we were off. I had planned on napping for at least part of the ride, but Blaine was too excited to sit still. He was bouncing slightly in his seat, already listing all of the things that he just _had _to show Annabel. As annoying as his peppiness was so early in the morning, it was hard not to get swept away into the excitement radiating off of him. I couldn't blame him. I remembered the first time my dad had visited me in college. I had dragged him around the city until his feet were aching, showing him snippets of my life. I couldn't wait to see Annabel's face when she saw New York for the first time.

"So, what's on the plan for today, then?" I asked when Blaine finally paused to breathe.

"Well," he began, "Once we get to the hotel we'll probably find somewhere to eat lunch. After that, I'm not sure. I want Annabel to see Times Square today, and then maybe we can do some touristy things. Oh, and we're definitely hitting Central Park before we leave. She's super excited about seeing the zoo from Madagascar. We loved that movie," He admitted sheepishly.

"I see. But, tonight? No specific plans?" I asked.

"Are you asking me out?" He asked with a grin. "Because it's kind of hard to go out when you have your four-year-old tagging along,"

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed, hoping the dim lighting would hide my blush, "I was just wondering if you _both _would like to come see Wicked with me. My old roommate is in it and she was able to save me a few tickets. I thought that Annabel would probably love it. But, I completely understand if you already have plans."

"Oh my God, Kurt!" Blaine yelped, drawing the attention of several others on the bus, " I've seen Wicked once when it was touring, but that was before Anna. She's going to love it. We'd love to! I keep forgetting that you went to NYU. You know this city so much better than I do." If Blaine had been excited before, he was practically radiating now. I knew I had done the right thing by asking Rachel to hold three tickets for me.

"We should stick together then." I tried to grab my iPod out of my bag, but Blaine was too quick for me.

"Come on, you don't need that. You have me to keep you company. Besides, we have this entire drive to plan out this weekend."

I knew that there was no point in arguing with Blaine, so I tucked my iPod away and turned towards him. "Okay. Lunch, Times Square, then we see Wicked. What else did you want to show Annabel?"

"Oh. I um, I didn't exactly think that far ahead to be honest." He admitted sheepishly.

"So what were you going to do if I didn't offer to show you and Annabel around? What if I had plans?" I'd always been organized; I made lists in my sleep. Hearing that Blaine was going to a city he was unfamiliar with and just planning on winging it made me wince.

"I figured you'd say yes, and if not, I could always ask someone for directions. I couldn't manage to get too lost, right? I mean, we're sending a group of twenty-odd kids to wander around, aren't we?"

"The kids are all in groups of three, and they've given us rough itineraries for the entire weekend. The kids are far less likely to get lost!" I scolded. "Why did they ever agree to let you chaperone?"

"I asked nicely." Blaine said with a smirk. "You should try it sometime."

I hit him with one of my trademark bitch glares, and he retaliated by sticking out his tongue.

"Your maturity abounds," I said dryly. "Now shut up so I can sleep."

We arrived at noon. The bus pulled up beside the small hotel we would be staying at that night. The Belnord Hotel was in midtown, and it was relatively nice for such a cheap place. After helping the kids check into their rooms, Blaine and I dumped our stuff in the room we would be sharing.

"Daddy, I'm hungry!" Annabel complained. "I haven't eaten in ages!"

"Well, Bella-boo, you're gonna have to ask Mr. Hummel what his plans are. He's our tour guide today." Blaine said with a grin. "Lead the way, good sir!"

It seemed that Blaine was less patient than Annabel when it came to food. Within ten minutes of leaving the hotel, he was already pestering me.

"So… where're we going?" He asked, as I flagged a taxi.

"Nope! If you wanted to know what my plans were, you shouldn't have fallen asleep in the bus. After insisting that I stay up and talk to you, no less." I scooped up Annabel and entered the taxi. Blaine grumbled as he followed me inside.

I quickly gave the address to the driver and settled in. Annabel crawled over into my lap so that she could smash her nose up against the window.

"Daddy! Look! The buildings go up forever! There are so many people. Daddy, why isn't that man wearing pants? Is he going to be cold? Is he—wait, look it's Mary Poppins! We saw that movie!" Annabel babbled on, pointing out the sights that appealed to her. Blaine, on the other hand, was so busy trying to wrestle her into her seatbelt that he was paying no mind to our surroundings. So, when we finally arrived he looked up in amusement.

"Are… are you serious?" He asked. "You took us to the most tourist filled section of the city?" We were right outside of the Winter Garden Theatre, where Mamma Mia was performed. "And, I thought we were getting something to eat?"

"This is Annabel's first time here. Tourist things are just what she needs, right hun?" Annabel nodded sagely, and grabbed my hand. "And anyways, we're not going into the theatre." I motioned to the restaurant right next to the theatre. "Ellen's Stardust Diner is the perfect place to go on your first trip to the city." I lead the way into the dimly lit diner. We walked in mid-song, and my reasons for picking this restaurant became apparent.

"Oh my god! This is awesome!" Blaine exclaimed loudly over the music. Annabel tried desperately to watch everything at once, but it was a lot to take in. There were two people with microphones dancing around the tables while the rest of the servers sang back up as they passed out food. The restaurant had a slight retro feel to it, but that was ruined by the high tech lights shining on the performers.

We were seated on the first floor in the middle of the room, which was loud and crowded but in the center of the action.

"So, basically, all of the waiters work here to foot the bills while they try to get a spot on Broadway. The food is rather terrible, but it's meant for tourists, so you can't really blame them." I explained. "My friend Rachel used to work here, before she got into Wicked."

We didn't talk much, content to eat and watch the performances. It wasn't until right after we finished that I spotted Nate. The heavyset man's eyes lit up when he recognized me, and he ran up to our table.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a surprise for you today! Kurt's back!" He squealed into his microphone as he ran over. "Maybe, if we ask nicely, he'll give us a song!" The customers, who mainly consisted of overweight southerners and their whiny children, cheered, as if they had any idea who I was. Blaine looked at me with shining eyes, but it was Annabel's reaction that sealed my fate.

"Can I pick the song you sing, Mr. Hummel?" She asked. I internally cursed Nate's weakness when it came to kids.

"What do you want us to sing, darling?" He asked, as he handed me a wireless microphone from the rack above the counter.

"A princess song!" She said. That settled it, and the next thing I knew Nate was dragging me on top of the ledge between two tables.

"I'm telling Rachel!" I threatened quietly, but he simply grinned and began singing.

"_I can show you the world…" _His voice rang out. I quickly became lost in the song, nailing Jasmine's parts, if I do say so myself. We danced around each other for a while, until it came to the last few lines. I leapt off the ledge and walked back to my table, motioning towards Annabel. She eagerly ran towards me, and sang the last lines with me. Her voice was strong for such a young girl's, and I wondered if that came naturally or from Blaine's coaching.

The diner exploded in applause when Annabel fumbled with a curtsy. Blaine let out a loud whistle, and Annabel ran towards Nate to give him a hug.

"See? At least s_he_ likes me," Nate said, nudging me in the shoulder. He handed the microphones to someone else and waited for them to begin before he walked back to our table. "So, what brings you back to the city?" He asked me, before thrusting his hand out at Blaine. "I'm Nate. I'm assuming this diva's yours?"

"Blaine, and yes, this is my daughter Anna." Blaine smiled, ruffling her hair.

"He's cute. At least, more than the last loser you introduced me to." Nate whispered to me, still loud enough for Blaine to hear. "Where'd you find this one?"

"Nate! He's not my—I mean, we're colleagues. And I thought you liked Lewis." I accused. "He said you were still friends."

"Whatever, whatever." Nate brushed me off, "I've got to get back to work, but thanks for the show. I've missed you." He turned towards Blaine. "This guy used to stop by every day to sing with us, before Rachel made it big, that is." Nate pulled me into a big hug before heading back to work.

"So. That was awesome." Six hours later and Blaine was still going on about my impromptu performance. "Like, I had no idea that you were a countertenor. Why haven't I heard you sing before?"

"Why would you have?" I sighed as we entered the theatre. We'd spent the rest of the day in Times Square, doing any and everything that Annabel could think of, and I was exhausted. Blaine had been just as excited as Anna to explore M&M World and was still suffering the side effects of eating too much candy. "Besides, we're here."

I hurried to get the tickets that Rachel had reserved for us and get seated. We were about six rows from the front, dead center. Annabel was literally shaking with excitement. Blaine had talked about Wicked a lot in the past, and Annabel seemed to equate actually seeing it with Christmas morning.

Of course, I had completely forgotten the flying monkeys. When they first came out, Annabel screamed bloody murder. The next thing I knew, she was curled up in my lap. Blaine leaned over, and began stroking her hair and whispering in her ear. Immediately, all of the tension left her body, and she sat back up.

"I'm okay now." She sniffed, before returning to her seat. She grabbed Blaine's right and my left, squeezing tightly before bravely lifting her eyes back up towards the stage. We remained silent until I finally picked out Rachel from the rest of the students at Shiz.

"Look!" I whispered to Anna and Blaine, "Third from the left, the girl with brown hair. That's Rachel!" I watched in awe as Rachel danced with the others during Dancing Through Life. I'd never seen her perform before in an ensemble role, and it was a little overwhelming. Rachel was always the center of attention, so it was shocking to see her onstage and not trying to pull focus. When she had been in productions at NYU she had always fought for the spotlight.

Wicked was just as amazing as I had remembered. Afterwards when we met up with Rachel for dinner, Annabel proved to be a proper fangirl.

"That's her!" She squealed to Blaine, before leaping up to give Rachel a hug. "I saw you on the stage! It was so good! 'Cept not those monkeys, because they weren't fun. They were scary, and I screamed even though you're supposed to be quiet inside."

Rachel laughed as she hugged her back, before reaching out to engulf me in a hug. "Thanks, sweetie. Oh god, I can't believe you're finally here, Kurt! I thought you'd never come back!"

"I know, I know. I suck. I can't believe I waited this long to see you either. You were fabulous, Rachel. Barbra would be jealous." I hugged her back. "I've missed you, love."

Quick introductions were made, and Annabel spent the majority of dinner bombarding Rachel with questions, from the personal, "What's your favorite color? I like pink, like Galinda, do you?", to the professional, "How many dresses does Galinda get to wear? And how does she change so fast?" Rachel was a good sport, but she cornered me during dinner.

"What is going on with you two?" She demanded when Blaine left to take Annabel to the bathroom. "You hate kids, but that kid has you wrapped around her pinky. Did you sleep with him yet?"

"Rachel!" I whipped around, checking to make sure Blaine hadn't suddenly reappeared. "No! Of course not!"

"Why? Nate called me after your little show today at lunch. He said that Mr. Prep-School was drooling over you the entire performance. And I didn't miss how he held the doors open for you, either." She said, as she sipped her Cosmo. "So he obviously isn't opposed to the idea."

"Rachel! He's just polite. And, you know, I work at a prep school too. So what makes him Mr. Prep-School and not me?"

"He dresses like it! Who wears a bowtie when they're spending a day in the city?"

"True, true. But he pulls it off rather well."

"I bet you'd love to see him pull it off, wouldn't you?" Rachel quipped with a wink.

"Rachel!"

"I'm exhausted!" Blaine sighed as he tucked Annabel into the queen sized bed that they would be sharing. "I'm gonna take a shower, okay?"

I nodded as I went through my suitcase. "Sure, sure. I'll hop in when you've finished."

Blaine grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. I got out my pajamas and toiletries so that I would be ready when Blaine finished and flopped onto the other bed. I was flipping through the texts on my phone when I heard the hesitant knock.

"Mr. Anderson?" someone sniffled, "Can I talk to you?" Valerie was at the door when I answered, tears raining down her face.

"Valerie? Is everything okay?"

"I just—can I talk to Mr. Anderson?" She asked softly. I glanced back at the closed bathroom door, the sounds of Blaine humming in the shower drifting through.

"He's in the shower. Can I help you, hun? Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, fighting the urge to drown the frail girl in a hug.

"O-okay. Yeah, I'd like that." She answered. I motioned for her to give me a second and went back into the room.

"Blaine!" I called out, banging on the bathroom door. "A student needs me, I'm going out. I'll be back soon."

"Sure, lock the room, okay?" He yelled back. I grabbed my coat and slipped back on my shoes before leaving the room.

"Do you have your shoes?" Valerie nodded. "Okay, great. Mr. Anderson's daughter is sleeping, so I figured we could talk somewhere else. There's a Starbucks just around the corner…" I trailed off as we reached the elevator. Valerie nodded, and I could tell that she was uncomfortable. I hoped that getting to the coffee shop would help her relax. We walked down the street in silence until we got there. I quickly ordered for myself before turning to Valerie.

"Water's fine," she mumbled.

Once we'd grabbed our drinks we found some chairs to sit in at a table in an isolated corner. I sipped my mocha slowly, waiting for Valerie to speak. Ten minutes passed and she still just sat there, not meeting my eyes. I took that as my cue to speak up.

"Valerie. Something is obviously really wrong. Did something happen while you were touring today?" I asked, hoping to coax her out of her silence. Valerie shook her head and shrunk into her hoodie. She looked so frail, wrapped up in an oversized hoodie and jeans that were five times too big for her small frame.

"No. No, today was fine. Until we got the room assignments." She said, quietly.

"Okay… So what happened when you got the room assignments?"

"There were only two beds for the four of us. So, I figured we'd just each share a bed, right? And we were about to get ready for bed when Aikya—" Valerie took a deep breath before continuing, "Aikya told Gina that she wanted to sleep with her. But, Gina was going to share with Michelle. So I said that I would share with Aikya. But, she flipped out. She said," another pause, another deep breath. "She said she couldn't share a bed with a dyke."

Valerie looked so small, so alone in that moment. It took everything I had not to run back to the hotel and yell at the other girls. Aikya was a senior, which made the fact that she was harassing a sophomore even more deplorable.

"Are you gay?" I asked her, hoping that being blunt wouldn't push Valerie to withdraw into herself even farther.

"No!" she burst out.

"It's perfectly fine if you were. You know that, right?" I asked. "There are plenty of gay kids at Lake Vermont. Faculty too." 

"I'm not gay!" She insisted. "I'm really not. I just… It just hurts, you know? I don't get it."

"I know. I know exactly how much it hurts. I dealt with that daily when I was a kid, and there were some days when I just wanted to give up. But, Valerie you're a bright girl, you know that—"

"No. That's the thing. I'm _not._" She interrupted. I could tell that she was trying to imply something, but I wasn't sure what she meant.

"You're not what?"

"I'm not… _I'mnotagirl_." She whispered quickly. "That's why they think I'm gay. Because I do like girls. I'm just not one."

Suddenly the conversation I had with Blaine earlier made sense. Of course it would be difficult connecting with a character if a teacher kept giving you the wrong gender to work with.

"Oh, Valerie." I sighed, "Thank you so much for trusting me with this."

"Besides Mr. Anderson, you're the only one who knows. I tried to tell my mom, but she didn't understand. She just told me I was gay. And I know there's not anything wrong with being gay, but…"

"But you know that you're not. I understand. When I was a freshman, in Ohio of all places, I was even more effeminate than I am now. Most people knew I was gay, but so many people just assumed that I was transgendered. Even a few of my teachers called me Lady." I reached forward and grabbed Valerie's hand. "I know it's hard. And it probably always will be. Sometimes, it will be so hard that it doesn't seem logical to keep going. But, it's so, so worth it. High school sucks. You have no privileges. So much is expected from you. But life isn't high school. In a few years, you'll be gone. And then you'll be able to live the life you deserve."

"I… I really hope so. I want that so much, you know? And I know that I'd never, you know, _do anything. _But, sometimes it's so tempting. I live in Jubilee, one of the sophomore girls' dorms. Everyone gets so uncomfortable around me in the bathrooms. It's like I'm a predator. But that's not the worst part. I hate myself. I hate my body. I hate _these_," She gestured towards her chest with disgust. "I feel wrong, every day and all the time. Mr. Anderson says that someday, maybe I could transition. If I want. But that's just as scary as staying this way, you know?"

"I think that there's a GSA at Lake Vermont." I suggested, "Maybe you could look into that? I know that when I was in high school, my school's Gay-Straight alliance was one of the places I felt safest."

"Yeah, Lake Vermont has this group called Safe Place. Mr. Anderson's our faculty advisor. I went last year, a few times. But it was hard. Because everyone was so happy. It's okay to be gay here, as long as you're open about it. But, they all thought I was hiding in the closet. Which I am, but not for the way they think. They thought I was ashamed or something, and it made everyone awkward around me." Valerie sighed. "So, now I just talk to Mr. Anderson when it gets to be too much. He's great, you know? He gets me. Like you do, but…" Valerie sighed. "Sometimes, he just makes it harder. Like, he makes me think about stuff I don't want to."

"Like?"

"Like, he makes me say it. Say that I'm," Valerie looks around quickly before whispering, "_transgendered. _He makes me use the right words and stuff. And, he makes me decide what I want to be called. Did you know some people prefer 'zir' instead of 'his' or 'her'?"

"Yes, I did know that. What do you prefer?" I asked. "What do you want me to call you?"

"I don't want to be a her, or a she. But I'm not ready to be a guy yet either. I'm scared. Of what people will think, mostly. And, well, I'm scared that I'm not manly enough to be a guy. I like acting and dancing. I cry all the time. I just feel like I should be a guy, but no matter how hard I try, it's not good enough."

"If you think you should be a guy, you are." I said. "It's as simple as that. You don't have to fit a norm. Look at me. I'm obsessed with musical theatre, I sing higher than most sopranos, and I'm obsessed with fashion. But, if you ask any of my ex-boyfriends, they will assure you that I am indeed all male."

Valerie chuckled at that. "I think, for now at least, I'll stick to being a 'she' and a 'her'. Someday, someday maybe I'll have the courage to start transitioning. But, not yet."

"That's perfectly fine. There's no rule that says you have to at all. It's just up to what you feel comfortable with." I stood up and walked to Valerie, enveloping her in a hug. She hugged me back fiercely. "Come on. Let's go back to the hotel. You can sleep on the couch in the room that Mr. Anderson and I are sharing. I'm going to have a little discussion with Aikya now."

"No!" Valerie burst out. "No, no please don't. That will make it even more awkward. Please don't say anything."

I pondered this. Letting Aikya get away with her hurtful comments seemed so wrong, but Valerie seemed so fragile right now that I worried about pushing her.

"Fine. But if Mr. Anderson thinks we should do something about it, we will, okay?" I compromised. I knew that this wasn't an issue that could be resolved easily, but I had to do everything in my power to try. Valerie deserved a teacher that cared enough about her to try, at least. So, with my former worries about whether or not Rachel was right about Blaine pushed to the back of my mind, I headed back to the hotel with Valerie.

_Okay, guys. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in forever! I hope you don't mind the super-long chapter, but I couldn't find a way to break it up into two parts. Also, I know a lot of people hate OCs, but Valerie's story is going to become increasingly important to the overall plot. As always, reviews are appreciated. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Wow, so many responses to the last chapter! Thanks, guys! This chapter is pretty much all filler to get the plot moving forward, but you'll get another update soon._

Blaine was waiting up for me when I returned with Valerie. I showed Valerie the pullout couch and pulled Blaine out into the hall with me.

"We're having a little problem with Aikya in one of the girls' rooms. I told Valerie that I would let you decide how to handle it." I explained. Blaine's eyes widened in surprise, and he let out a groan.

"I'm assuming this means Valerie finally told you?" At my nod he continued. "I should have known that rooming Valerie with Aikya was a bad idea… What did she do?"

"She called Valerie a dyke in front of the other girls, and no one defended her. I told Valerie that she could sleep on the pullout. She begged me not to talk to Aikya, but I just don't feel right ignoring this."

"Yeah, we have to do something. I don't want to make Valerie even more uncomfortable, but this can't go on." Blaine pulled his hand through his wet curls with a sigh. "I really had hoped that the kids would able to be more understanding. I mean, so much has changed since we were their age. I guess I just thought that the hatred was gone." I could tell that Blaine was hurting, and not just because of Valerie. There was a story there, but now was not the time for me to ask.

"I did too." I said simply, and pulled Blaine into a hug. It was slightly uncomfortable with his wet hair and the awkward height difference but it was what we both needed. We stood there for a few moments, mourning for a generation that we had put so much faith in.

"Come on," I said, detaching myself from his warm embrace reluctantly. "We need to decide what we're going to do about Aikya."

"Right. I think we should go talk to Aikya, and then when we get back to campus I'll report the incident to the senior girls' dean. What do you think?"

I agreed, and the two of us headed down the hall to the cluster of rooms where the students were staying after telling Valerie we would be back soon. I chose to ignore the suggestive eyebrow wiggles coming from Valerie, but I'm pretty sure Blaine wasn't ignoring them. He really was that oblivious.

I could tell just from standing outside their hotel room that the drama had not stopped when Valerie left. Although it was nearing midnight, the girls were obviously still up, if the muffled yelling I could hear was any indication.

"What is your problem? I can't believe you would just—" Blaine rapped on the door, interrupting the girl mid-rant.

"If that's Valerie, you're apologizing," The girl demanded before the door was unlocked.

"Mr. Anderson!" Michelle squealed before slamming the door. "We're in our pajamas!"

Blaine stifled a chuckle before knocking again. "Girls, can you get presentable? Mr. Hummel and I would like to talk to you."

After a moment, Michelle slowly opened up the door. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly. The girls were wrapped in bathrobes, blushing the second Blaine looked at them. I wasn't surprised—I was beginning to realize that Blaine's charms were apparent to everyone.

We walked into the room, Blaine and I sitting cross-legged on the floor across from the couch where Aikya and Gina were perched.

"So. I think we all know why we're here." Blaine said. He paused, looking at the girls. The look on his face wasn't anger, merely immense disappointment. From the way the girls began to fidget, I knew that it didn't feel good to be on the receiving end of that glance.

Michelle walked away from the door and sat on the floor next to the couch. She had been shooting daggers at Aikya, but quickly turned to me.

"Mr. Hummel? Is Valerie okay? She left, but when I tried to find her Mr. Anderson said she was with you. Where is she?" She asked. I didn't have Michelle in any of my classes, but I had seen the sophomore roaming the campus before. She seemed like a nice girl, and I was glad to see that she cared about Valerie. Valerie needed friends now more than ever.

"She's fine. She needed to cool down a bit, so we went out. She's in our room with Mr. Anderson's daughter now." I explained.

"We were upset to hear of what had happened. But, we've already heard Valerie's story—what do you think happened? Why would you say we're here, Aikya?" Blaine asked.

Aikya didn't respond, merely staring at the floor. Gina took this as her cue, so she began.

"Aikya called Valerie a dyke," she said bluntly. "Then Valerie started crying and ran out. Michelle started cussing out Aikya, and hasn't really stopped until you got here. Well, except for when she left to try and find her."

Michelle looked up at Blaine and me meekly. "I may have yelled at Aikya a bit," she admitted. "But I guess you heard that?" She blushed at Blaine's nod.

"Do you have anything to say, Aikya?" Blaine asked gently. "I'd really like to know what's going through your head right now."

"This is stupid." Aikya finally said. "I didn't mean to make her cry. I was just explaining why I needed to share with Gina."

"Why couldn't you share with Valerie?" I asked. I knew what her response would be, but we actually needed to hear her say it.

"Because," Aikya said dryly, "That girl is a dy—" At Michelle's glare she corrected herself, "Because Valerie is a lesbian, and I'm not into that crap."

There were so many things wrong with that sentence that I didn't know where to start. Blaine didn't appear to have that problem.

"Aikya, what you did tonight was wrong. Even if Valerie was gay—"

"She obviously is. Have you seen the way she dresses?" Aikya interrupted.

"Her sexuality is the least of my worries here. The word you used was hurtful and not at all appropriate. I'm extremely disappointed in you, in all of you." Blaine said, looking at all of the girls pointedly. "Mr. Hummel and I are going to have to inform your deans of this incident. Michelle, I'm afraid I'm going to have to report you for yelling at Aikya."

Michelle nodded with resignation, but Aikya began to protest.

"Aikya, I think you should stop while you're ahead. Technically, what you did is borderline hate speech. If Valerie wanted to press the issue, it could be Headmaster Douglass that we were reporting you to instead of the dean of students." I said, quickly interrupting her sputters. Gina rolled her eyes and elbowed Aikya.

"Fine." Aikya snapped. Blaine just looked at her, a mixture of pity and hurt on his face.

"Okay, then. Goodnight, girls." He said softly, before we left the room.

"That certainly could have gone better," I muttered as we headed back. "Do you mind if I still take a shower? It's getting rather late."

"Go ahead and shower. Thanks for today, by the way. I know I already said this, but I had an amazing time. I hope Anna didn't scare off Rachel too much. I know she can get a little out of hand, but she was just so excited tonight."

"Rachel loved Annabel; in fact she was practically threatening me with bodily harm if I don't bring her up again." I whispered as we entered the room where Annabel and Valerie were sleeping. Blaine grabbed my shoulder before I headed into to the shower. He looked into my eyes, expression unreadable. The air was thick with some sort of tension, but Blaine simply squeezed my arm and let me go.

"So, you're doing what?" Rachel questioned.

"I'm making a Halloween costume for Annabel. She wanted to be Galinda after seeing the play last weekend. Of course, that's not something Blaine can just pick up at the store, so I told him I'd help him transform last year's ballerina costume into Galinda's signature pink dress. And, since Blaine is useless with a sewing machine, that lead to me making it myself." I said, balancing my cell against my ear as I worked on sketching a pattern.

"That's an awful lot to be doing for someone who's just a friend," Rachel said cheekily.

"Well. About that…"

"Oh my god! Something happened didn't it? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Rachel squealed into my ear. I knew that I would probably regret telling Rachel, but I needed to discuss the latest incident with someone or I would burst.

"Okay, well, you know how I told you about the episode with Aikya? We had to go deal with the girl afterwards, so we stayed up rather late. So then, when we were on the home, we both fell asleep. When I woke up, Blaine had his arm around me, and he was just stroking my hair."

"And you let him?" Rachel gasped. "You never let anyone touch your hair!"

"It was… _nice_. I may have even pretended to sleep for longer, just to see if he would keep doing it." I admitted sheepishly. "It felt like high school all over again—butterflies and mixed emotions. It was such a little thing, but it just felt right. In his arms, I mean. God, I sound like a teenage girl."

"No you don't—you sound like a romantic. And, I'm telling you, this guy's a keeper. You need to man up and ask him out on a real date—without his munchkin tagging along."

"I know, I know! But I still don't know what the story is with him and Sebastian. I'm not even sure that he's single!"

"Well, he wasn't cuddling with Sebastian on the bus, now was he?" Rachel quipped. "But speaking of Sebastian, how's Fiddler going?"

"We're having auditions this weekend, so we'll see how that goes." I sighed.

Blaine, Sebastian, Mike, and I had decided that we would have the auditions on three separate days, so that we could focus on each aspect of each audition separately. Mike and Brittany would be teaming up first to coordinate the dance portion of the audition, then Blaine would follow with the singing, and Sebastian and I would finish with the monologues. I had discussed the auditions with all of my students, and Blaine had posted flyers all around campus. Hopefully we would get enough people auditioning to perform such an intense show.

I was feeling quite confident about the auditions, and that feeling was only intensified when Valerie came up to me after class on Thursday.

"I've been thinking," Valerie began, "And, I think I'm going to audition for Fiddler tomorrow." I had been hoping as much, but I wondered what that would mean for Valerie. After her hushed confession this weekend, I had doubted she would be doing anything to call attention to herself. When I heard that Aikya had been given a week's worth of detention I was even more positive that Valerie would try to lie low.

"Oh? What monologue will you be using?" All the boys were reading the Tevye monologue I had set out, while the girls would be reading Yente.

"I was thinking that I could read for Tevye, if that's okay." Valerie said softly. When I looked in her eyes, I saw my fourteen-year-old self reflected back at me. Scared, yet desperate to finally be who I knew I really was. This was such a huge step for Valerie—a step towards coming out, maybe even one day transitioning. I wanted to do nothing more than scoop her into a hug, but I played it cool.

"You'd better start practicing then." I replied with a smile. "See you tomorrow."

I had meant to head back home as soon as school let out, but Puck caught me on my way out.

"Kurt! I've been meaning to talk to you for a while; do you have a second?"

"Sure. What's up, Puckerman?" I asked, allowing him to pull me into the empty teacher's lounge.

"It's about Fiddler, actually. I was just wondering how things were going?" Puck asked, shoving his wrinkly hands under his armpits and flopping onto a ratty armchair.

"Things are going fine, but you know that. You're on the committee. What's this really about, Puck?"

Puck sputtered a bit, but then he just sighed. "You're right; it's not about Fiddler…" He slumped back in his chair with exhaustion, for once looking his age. "I'm not usually one for gossip, but considering it's about your job I figured you should know. Yesterday, when I walked into the lounge outside the Headmaster's office, I overheard Sebastian talking to Headmaster Douglass."

"And?" I asked, trying not to get worked up prematurely.

"And I think your job may be in jeopardy."


	8. Chapter 8

Puck refused to elaborate, but I didn't need to know what Sebastian had said. Sebastian had wanted my job from the start, so anything he had to say to the headmaster couldn't be good. Puck told me that he was already risking a lot by giving me a heads up and that he had the utmost faith in me, but I still left the room a little nauseous. I tried not to worry; Headmaster Douglass had liked me enough to hire me, hadn't he? On the other hand, I knew I needed to step it up. I needed to show the headmaster that there was absolutely no reason to listen to Sebastian's claims, whatever they may be. This only served to make audition week more tense.

I was rather surprised at the number of kids that came to auditions. Almost all of our students, as well as a number of individuals who had yet to establish themselves in the Arts Department were there. Most of the students were nervous, which made me glad that we had just finished our mock-auditions unit. Hopefully the knowledge of what was expected would be of some comfort to my students.

The first night of auditions did not go very well. Sebastian sat between Blaine and me with a disinterested, snarky air. He seemed to enjoy disagreeing with any comments I made simply for argument's sake. He spent the entire first night doodling on a napkin, playing Angry Birds on his iPhone, and trying to chat with Blaine. Blaine merely listened to him, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. It never failed to astonish me that Blaine could be so perceptive at times, like when dealing with Valerie, but then so clueless at others. It was almost enough to make me wonder if it was all a mask he wore to avoid conflict, but Blaine was too not to try to help resolve things. If he had noticed, surely he would have tried to mediate by now.

Brittany and Mike had already worked on the choreography for an ensemble number, as well as a small ballet piece for the girls. We realized at the beginning of the audition that no one had hooked up the stage's speakers yet, leaving us with no way to broadcast the music for the dances.

"Kurt, I thought you were taking care of it," Sebastian accused, "Why didn't you figure it out last night when you came to the theater to set stuff up?" His voice was annoyed, but his eyes lit up in delight at the mishap.

"The doors to the sound booth were locked when I came in last night, and I don't have a master key yet. I called Puck and he said that he'd get the guys to check up on the system. But they had a dance recital last weekend in here, so when I didn't hear back I assumed we were in the clear." I explained.

The kids were all sprawled out across the audience, waiting for our instructions. We had already wasted enough time by giving a little pep-talk—courtesy of a _very_ excited Blaine—so we needed to get started soon. When Sebastian flopped back down to play Angry Birds, inspiration struck.

"Do you get internet in here?" I asked.

"Yes, but you can't use it." Sebastian replied. He sounded like a toddler, clutching a toy to his chest and squealing _mine._ I rolled my eyes before producing my own iPhone from my pocket.

"Just checking. Britt, what songs were you using?" I was able to find the songs we needed on Youtube, albeit the movie versions. The songs were slightly different, but it would work. I ran to my office to get my iPod dock and we were ready. Brittany was very patient with the students, going over the routine again and again while Mike jotted down notes on each student's audition form. Things were going rather well, until a bumbling senior boy lost his footing and tripped off of the stage. There was an unfortunate-sounding crunch, and the night ended with Mike and me escorting the boy to the health center.

The next night, Blaine sat with the others, frantically scribbling notes after each student's performance. I was accompanying them on the piano on stage, so I had no idea what Blaine was writing. I couldn't help but tense up whenever I noticed Sebastian whisper something to Blaine intimately. Each student was singing sixteen bars of whatever song that Blaine had put out the week before for their range. Listening to forty sopranos sing Far From the Home I Love one after another was tiring and I soon grew restless. Just as I was beginning to think that Valerie had decided not to show, I noticed her hiding in the back as the tenors practiced scales together. She ended up auditioning last, when the majority of the other students had already left.

She introduced herself quickly before beginning with her piece. She started softly, but soon gained confidence. She was loud and clear, with a rich timbre to her voice that was uncommon among girls of Valerie's age. She was singing the song Blaine had put out for tenors, Miracle of Miracles. Traditionally, the song is song by a male, but her voice seemed to fit the song better than any of the guys that had auditioned with it. I would have to see Blaine's notes, of course, but I had a good feeling about Valerie's audition.

The next morning when I went downstairs to have breakfast, Blaine was nowhere to be found. Over the last few weeks, my rushed coffee while Annabel waited for Blaine had transformed into the two of us eating breakfast together. I was getting up slightly earlier, so instead of grabbing a yogurt to eat in my office, I started sitting with Annabel. Blaine had quickly realized that Annabel was eating a real meal, instead of the cereal that she usually ate. He had felt guilty that I was cooking for her every day, so he began to help me cook and the three of us ate together. It was cozy and domestic, and I hadn't realized just how much I enjoyed it until Blaine didn't come that morning.

"Anna, love, where's your Daddy?" I asked as I got out the eggs.

"He's sleepy." She twirled around the room, setting the table for us. "He forgot to wake me up this morning. I had to go jump on his bed."

As she said this, Blaine entered the kitchen.

"What're you making?" He asked blearily, rubbing at his head. "And why are you being so loud?" Blaine's usually impeccable clothing was wrinkled and his bowtie was crooked. He also had all of the signs of a hangover.

Blaine looked to be in agony, so I turned down the burner and asked, "Do you want me to get you an aspirin?"

"Yeah. My head's pounding." He slumped against the counter, grimacing at the overhead light.

"You do realize that everyone is going to know what you were up to last night, don't you?" I asked as I fished some Advil from the cabinet. Blaine merely grumbled in response. "Why would you go out on a school night? Where was Anna?" Blaine was such a responsible father. Why on earth would he go out and get drunk when he knew he had class in the morning and a four year old at home?

"She was here, asleep. I didn't go anywhere." He whispered, obviously trying to appease his aching head.

"So you just decided to get wasted, by yourself, at home, on a school night?" I asked incredulously. "That's so unlike you."

"Sebastian came over after auditions last night. We watched the game after I put Anna to bed, and I had a few beers. I'm a light-weight." Blaine moved to sit down at the table next to Anna, burying his head in his hands.

"Daddy's up!" Anna squealed when she noticed him. "Why're you acting so funny?"

"Hun, Daddy's head hurts. Please use your inside voice." Blaine whispered.

"Hangovers are nature's way of reminding you that you were really stupid last night. Deal with the noise, and maybe you'll be smarter next time." I chided as I handed Blaine his pill before returning to finish breakfast.

"Thanks, Dad." He grumbled sarcastically. Blaine with a hangover was starting to get on my nerves. Not to mention the fact that I was still trying to decide how I felt that Sebastian had been over last night. Sure, I had no interest in watching the game last night, but it would have been nice to have been invited. Maybe there was something going on between Blaine and Sebastian, and I was just too oblivious to notice it. Maybe Blaine wanted a guy like Sebastian, who would charm him over beers.

A few years ago, just knowing that Blaine was interested in guys like Sebastian would have had me changing everything about myself in an attempt to win him over. College had matured me, however, and I had grown confident in myself. If Blaine didn't like who that person was, that was his problem, right? I tried not to think about what Blaine and Sebastian may or may not have gotten up to the night before and move on with my day. But knowing something and actually believing it are two very separate things.

It was harder than I had hoped it would be. At lunch, Puck teased Blaine about his hangover consistently. By that point, the headache had worn off, but Blaine still looked a little pale. He was nursing his water while munching on saltines, hoping to settle his stomach.

"Anderson, if you needed to relax, you should have called me. I get around, you know. I could've shown you a good time, and prevented the hangover." Puck teased, clearly enjoying the change in events. Blaine was always so in control, and Puck was loving that he had an edge on him.

"Are there even any bars in town?" Brittany said. "Where'd you go?"

"Guys! It wasn't like that. I just drank a little too much after dinner. We were watching the game." Blaine explained with an edge to his voice. That was another thing—Hangover Blaine had a tendency to snap. He didn't seem to be aware that Puck was just teasing, and instead of just jousting back with him as always, I worried that he would lash out. As laid back as Puck seemed to be, he was still Blaine's friend, and for that reason I hoped that Blaine would be able to control himself.

"I see Kurt managed to come out of it all right." Puck noted with a grin. "Was this part of your plan, Hummel? Get Blaine wasted and then have your way with him?"

"What? No, Kurt wasn't there," Blaine said. "Sebastian came over. Why would Kurt be there?"

Silence. Complete and utter silence engulfed the table, thicker than the time that Brittany had accidentally claimed that she was going to school for masturbating, instead of her Masters' degree. Blaine, oblivious as always, gulped down the rest of his water and stood up.

"I'm gonna take a nap before my next class. See you at auditions, Kurt."

"I thought that you and Blaine were…" Puck began, "I mean, please don't tell me I'm the only one who saw it."

"Nope, I thought so too." One of Puck's many groupies replied, scooting her chair closer to his. He ignored her attempts to distract him and looked right at me.

"Hummel, are you okay? I'm sure he'll come round," He assured, smiling brightly. "He's always been known for having his head in his ass."

"I'm fine. Why does everyone assume that just because we're both gay and we live together that we're dating?" I asked petulantly.

"Isn't that how it works?" Brittany asked. Her accent was somewhat less pronounced as she talked around a mouthful of spaghetti, "You meet, you kiss, you move in, no?"

"We don't live together; we share a townhouse. It was arranged by the school. We didn't even meet until after I moved in!" I argued, over Puck's laughter.

"Kinky, Hummel. I didn't know you had it in you." He quipped. I rolled my eyes before standing up to leave. Puck was great, but I was not in the mood to joke about my sex life. Especially my non-existent-as-of-now sex life, and especially when I was still fuming inwardly over Blaine's hangover.

Luckily, I had cooled off by that afternoon, so I was able to sit next to Sebastian at auditions without strangling him. We had to work together, as co-directors, but of course we found a way to be as separate as possible. He and I took separate notes on each student's monologue to be discussed later. We refrained from commenting on anything, watching in silence as each student did their piece. When the actual rehearsals began, we'd have to interact more frequently, so I was enjoying this while it lasted.

It was a rather proud moment for me to see my students perform their monologues. I couldn't take credit for much, but it still made me feel giddy. It was almost like I was up there myself, filled with nerves and hope and desperation for a lead. But the greatest of all of the monologues was Valerie's. It wasn't necessarily that she was better than the other students, although she did do very well. I could feel the emotion in her body language; see the picture she painted with her voice. As she spoke, she continually blew my mind.

The main thing was that I realized how big of a step this was for her. She was putting herself out there; she was outing herself. For all she knew, everyone at Lake Vermont was just like Aikya. For all she knew, she was setting herself up for the kind of torture I had experienced in Ohio. I knew better, but she didn't. Not everyone was like Aikya. I couldn't wait for Valerie to realize the number of people that truly cared for her. When she finished, it took all I had not to clap. I simply smiled, and thanked her, before moving on to the next student. Valerie left the stage with a huge smile and shining eyes. Gone was the scared little girl that had come to me crying, and in her place was the beginning of a strong, independent young man.

When everyone finished we all went to the staff lounge to discuss casting. Standard procedures would be to wait a week, but with our busy schedules it would be best if we could get the cast list up by Monday. We started off discussing the notes we had for each individual, good and bad, so that we could see how well they worked across the board. There was one girl that I had been certain would make a great Chava, but upon hearing Blaine's notes on her voice I knew that she didn't stand a chance. The same went for a senior girl that Mike had raved about, but couldn't act to save her life. Most of the students were well-rounded enough for us to agree. That is, until we got to Valerie Bradley.

"I don't know what you saw, Brittney, but that kid can dance. She can hold her own well enough in a group, which would help her in ensemble," Mike said.

"She has energy," Brittany commented, "That's for sure. What did you think, Blaine?"

"Okay, let me find my notes... Well, she was singing a song meant for tenors, but she did really well. Nice projection, and although her notes were slightly shaky at the beginning they leveled off beautifully. I think Valerie's perfect for ensemble, but too unusual for any of the girls' roles."

I nodded, "Valerie wouldn't fit any of the female roles, but she would make an outstanding Motel. She blew my mind with her Tevye monologue, and I have the feeling that she's just small enough to make Motel look meek without being too unbelievable. She's too talented to hide in a crowd. Sebastian?"

"No. Definitely not. She's a girl; what would the alumni think if Lake Vermont endorsed cross-dressing?" Sebastian looked at me with a fierce resolve. "Let her be ensemble—and make her sing alto."

I tried to interject, but Mike beat me to it. "It wouldn't be cross-dressing—it would be acting. And Lake Vermont is a fairly liberal school. Kurt's right, she should be on the list for callbacks for Motel. He doesn't do much dancing, but Brittany can add in something to showcase her moves."

"She was the best fit for the role. You've all said that she sang and danced well, so there are no reasons not to consider her for the part. Blaine, Back me up on this?" I asked, turning to him.

"I don't know, Kurt. Sebastian has a point. I really don't think it would be a good idea. We should just let her be ensemble. It's not fair to the other boys that she beat out," Blaine said, looking anywhere but at me.

"And discriminating against her is?" I was livid, "How can we possibly teach acceptance when the faculty doesn't uphold it? Not once have you mentioned her talent, so if your only reasoning is her anatomy—"

"Oh come on, just because you feel sorry for her doesn't mean you can just hand out—" Sebastian started, only to be cut off by Mike.

"I think," He began, "That we should skip over Valerie's audition for now. Let's finish up, and we can all go home and think on it, calm down a bit. Then, tomorrow we'll discuss it, okay?" I agreed, but I still found it hard not to spend the rest of the meeting glaring daggers at Sebastian. However, more than anything, I was pissed at Blaine. How could he say those things after everything he had been doing to help Valerie? Didn't he have any idea how big of an accomplishment it was that Valerie had even been willing to audition for a male role?

When I went home that night, Blaine was waiting for me in the living room. "Kurt? Can we talk for a minute?"

"I honestly doubt that would be a good idea," I snapped, "We have to share a house for the rest of the year. I'd rather not say something I'm going to regret, and I'm not in the mood to censor myself." I headed for the stairs, planning on calling Rachel to rant as I indulged in a tub of Ben and Jerry's. Today had been awful from the start, and I wanted nothing more than empty calories and Rachel's voice.

"No. We need to talk." Blaine was faster than I had expected. He hopped off the couch and grabbed my arm with a firm grip. "You need to understand why—I'm not an asshole, okay?"

I jerked my arm out of his hand and turned to him. "Fine." I nearly growled. "Talk." I demanded, heading to the couch.

"Valerie is one of my favorite students. She's a sweet kid, and I'm so proud of her for coming so far in the past year. But if she goes up on that stage dressed as a man her life is only going to get harder." His eyes were almost black with intensity. I could tell that he was doing this out of some sense of moral obligation, but that didn't make me any less angry.

"That's not our choice to make. Valerie is going to come out eventually, and we're just giving her the opportunity to do so in a safe environment. Do you really want to discourage her after she's trusted you with something this big?" I shot another withering glare, but he just sighed.

"Who says this is a safe environment? How do we know we're not just setting the stage for disaster?" His voice broke, and I saw another glimmer of the weak, devastated Blaine that I had seen the weekend before.

"Blaine, what are you trying to tell me? What… what happened to you?" I asked, leaning forward to take his hands. That was all it took. Blaine retracted his hands violently, whipping his body away from me.

"She's not getting that callback." He said coldly. The next thing I knew, he had stormed out of the living room. I slumped up the stairs, too emotionally exhausted to do anything more than sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

_This chapter is rather short, so sorry in advance! I'm going to try to update again by Wednesday, but it might end up being Friday. __**Anyway, trigger warning for mentions of a hate crime.**__ I'm not sure if this even needs a warning, but better safe than sorry, right? _

There was something wrong with Blaine. The hangover, mood swings, not defending Valerie—it was too much for him to simply be having a couple of off days. There had to be something major going on. At least, I hoped so. The only alternative was that I had been completely wrong about Blaine. Because the sweet, caring father that I had been falling for all year was gone and the guy in his place was kind of an asshole.

We had argued on and off all weekend over casting. Finally, we had decided that we would bring Valerie to callbacks, and then we would make decisions. I didn't even tell her what part we were considering her for, but she did well anyway. I was dead-set on her being our Motel, but I had a feeling that it would take something huge in order to change Blaine's mind. Sebastian was a different story. He seemed to have one goal—pleasing Blaine. If Blaine changed his mind, I knew Sebastian would agree with him in a heartbeat. Irritating me was not as important to Sebastian as getting on Blaine's good side, apparently. Mike was still on my side, backing me completely. Brittany was also pro-Valerie, but no one seemed to listen to her suggestions. I felt bad for her,

actually. Everyone seemed to assume that just because Brittany's English wasn't the greatest that she was stupid. I could tell that it irritated her, but at the same time it was hard to take her seriously when she was always saying idiotic things. Still, it was undeniable that she was a great dancer, and that she knew her stuff.

Halloween had quickly approached, and as promised I had finished a costume for Annabel. It was nothing more than a pink tutu with a bedazzled pink leotard, but she was convinced it looked just like Galinda. She had asked me to go trick-or-treating with her earlier in the week, and I had consented. Of course, this was before things between Blaine and I had become so tense. I wasn't backing out—that wouldn't be fair to Anna, after all—but I certainly wasn't looking forward to it. We met in the living room at five, late enough that people would be home but early enough that we wouldn't have to deal with teenagers. Anna looked adorable, with her hair in perfectly formed ringlets and a tiara fixed to the top of her head. Blaine and I were dressed casually, with a ridiculously hot pink candy bag in his hand.

"I need both hands for my wand," Anna explained, "And so we can hold hands!" She tucked her little hand in mine, and led the way outside.

We stuck with faculty houses. There were a few dozen across the campus, so Anna made a good haul. Everyone commented on how gorgeous she looked, though few recognized that she was supposed to be Galinda. Blaine and I were quiet, responding to her chatter when needed. All in all, the night was rather uneventful. The only exception was Puck's house.

Puck had basically been giving Blaine the silent treatment all week. It seemed that he was more offended by Blaine's behavior than I was. I supposed it made sense. Puck had been Blaine's mentor, after all. He and I both knew that something was wrong with Blaine, but neither of us knew how to deal with it.

When Anna rang the bell at Puck's house, he quickly opened up the door. As angry as he was at Blaine, it was impossible to ignore Anna.

"Jelly-Belly!" He cried out, "How come your Daddy hasn't brought you to visit me yet this year?" He handed her a bowl of candy, which she began to rifle through.

"So," He began, looking up at Blaine and me, "Are you two friends again?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?" Blaine asked, honestly curious.

"I don't know, maybe because you slept with Seb—" Puck answered, venom lacing his voice. I quickly cut him off.

"Everything is fine, Puck."

"Noah, you know that I didn't—" Blaine started, but this time Anna interrupted.

"May I have two pieces?" She asked, holding up a small package of M&Ms and a lollipop. "I can't decide."

"Here ya go, munchkin." Puck replied, ruffling her hair and dropping a handful of candy in the basket Blaine was carrying.

"You'll mess up my crown!" She cried, laughing as she pushed his hand away. She reached out to hug him, squealing as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Careful," he said, "My back isn't quite as strong as it used to be. Although, the ladies don't seem to mind," He whispered the last part in my direction with a wink. I rolled my eyes, happy to see that Puck was back to normal.

Once we were back home and Anna was bathed and in bed, Blaine sat down with me at the kitchen table. He poured us tea, sitting there silently.

"Did you ask me to sit with you with the intention of talking to me this time?" I asked after a moment. "Because if not I have papers to grade."

"I want… I want to tell you why. Why I've been so…" Blaine trailed off, lost for words.

"Douche-y?" I supplied.

"Yeah, I guess so. I said before, I'm not an asshole. I'm really not." Blaine looked me in the eyes, pleading for me to believe him.

"I don't think you're an asshole." I said truthfully, "But that doesn't mean I don't want to know what the hell is going on. I've never seen you like this before."

"I want to explain. Just, don't say anything, okay? I don't know if I'll be able to start talking again if you stop me. I've never really talked about this before." The intensity in Blaine's eyes frightened me, but I nodded readily. "I don't want Valerie to get hurt. That's what it all comes down to, really. I never worried about her, really, until this year. When we went to New York, and Aikya said that… It scared me. Because Lake Vermont is supposed to be safe. It's supposed to welcome differences—it's even in the school motto. Lake Vermont is supposed to be accepting of all people, just like San Francisco was supposed to be safe.

"I don't talk much about my past. You've probably noticed that. I lived in San Fran for my entire childhood, up until high school when I started Dalton. My parents were open about sexuality; my sister and I were told that it was okay to be different. I thought everyone thought that. I didn't try to hide. I came out at fourteen. I used to be different—flamboyant, obvious. I wasn't afraid. But I should have been. One day, in the summer before my freshman year at Dalton, a group of jocks from my middle school ganged up on me when I was at the mall with some friends. They started pushing me around, taunting me. My friends ran off, scared. The boys didn't stop though, if anything they got worse." At this, Blaine broke eye contact with me. He tried to discretely wipe his eyes, and I looked away. Every single fiber of my being was longing to reach out and pull Blaine into a hug, but I knew that wasn't what he needed right now. After taking a deep breath, Blaine began again.

"The biggest one pulled me into the nearest bathroom. There were people around, and they were afraid of getting caught, I guess. The bathroom was empty, and the next thing I knew I was being tied into a handicap stall. They left me tied there, laughing as I cried. It was half an hour before someone heard my cries and helped me out. By that time I was too upset to even say who had done it. Everyone simply laughed it off—boys will boys after all. And in reality it wasn't all that bad. I hadn't even thought about it for years, until now." Blaine took my hand, holding it tightly. "I thought that I was in an open-minded city and I let my guard down. I can't let that happen to Valerie."

I couldn't resist anymore, looking into Blaine's imploring eyes. I broke our hands apart before engulfing him in my arms. "Oh, Blaine. I'm so sorry that happened to you." I said, clutching him even tighter to my chest.

Blaine leaned into my arms, burrowing his head in my shoulder. "I know Valerie deserves that role. And I know she—that _he_ would kick ass at it. But I'm terrified that he's going to get hurt because of it."

"I wish you had talked to me earlier. I wouldn't have pressured you, if I had known." I winced, already regretting the petulant tone I know will come out at my next sentence. "But, why did you go to Sebastian instead of me?"

Blaine pulled himself out of my arms so quickly I thought he would get whiplash. "_Kurt_," he pleaded, voice breaking. "Sebastian means nothing to me. _That's_ why I invited him over. I was freaking out, and I knew you would want to talk. Sebastian was fine with just drinking my problems away with me. I hate that I hurt you. I never meant that."

"You did nothing wrong, Blaine." I finally said, "You don't owe me anything. I'm just your flat mate."

Blaine's face crumpled, going from apologetic to completely devastated. "Oh." He said, but that one syllable said more than a speech could have.

"Did you think we were something more?" I asked, nearly whispering. I held my breath, terrified that I'd said the wrong thing.

"I don't know. I wanted to be." Blaine stood up, red faced and ashamed. He made as if to leave for downstairs, but I didn't let him get away with it this time. I'm up and out of my chair in an instant. I grabbed his arm to stop him, but when he whipped around it isn't to talk.

His lips met mine tentatively. It's a question and an answer all in one. He seemed to like my answer, because the next thing I know we were making out like teenagers, right in the middle of the kitchen. Teeth clashing with teeth, tongues getting tangled up in each other. There isn't time for breathing, or even thinking. It's desperate, it's pleading. It's everything we've both been wanting since the first night we met. His arms wrapped around me, clutching my ass frantically. My hands tangled in his hair, fighting against the gel. It's too much, and not enough, and just right wrapped into one. Our kisses slowed, getting softer and lighter. I begrudgingly pulled away, staring up into his eyes. They're clear and bright, glistening with delight. The brokenness is still there, but it's lessened by the happiness that had been missing.

"Oh." He said again, and this time the meaning was different. It was part wonder, part excitement, part utter joy.

"I'm sorry." I blurted, and the hurt expression that filled his face is enough to make me hurry to continue. "I'm not sorry I kissed you," I correct myself, "I'm sorry I was so hard on you over Valerie. I should have trusted your judgment. I'm sorry I was so jealous of Sebastian, and—"

"Kurt," Blaine interjected, "It's okay. I'm the one who should be apologizing." He pulled me closer, tucking his head on my shoulder again. "I missed you this week. You were there, but I'd ruined everything. I thought you'd never talk to me again."

I stroked his hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "It's late. We have school in the morning, and a cast list to finalize. Let's go to bed and we can discuss this tomorrow?" Blaine pressed a parting kiss to my lips, chaste and hopeful, and left for downstairs. I made my way to my room, giddy with the taste of Blaine on my tongue. It wasn't until I reached my bed that I realized that I'd just complicated things so much more. Being with Blaine, if we even are together, didn't do anything to solve any of my problems. But then I remembered the feeling of his body against mine, his eyelashes fluttering against my cheek. I had been tempted with the idea of having something with Blaine, and I couldn't give it up now. I drifted off with a smile on my face, happier than I've been in a while.


	10. Chapter 10

In the months that I had lived at Lake Vermont, I'd gotten to know Blaine and Annabel Anderson rather well. You would think, then, that I would have witnessed a tantrum courtesy of Anna sometime before in those months. However, it wasn't until early November, that I experienced the terror that is a grumpy four-year-old. I woke up that morning bright-eyed, the memory of kissing Blaine the night before still fresh in my mind. I wasn't sure what last night's events meant for Blaine and me, but I was eager to find out. When I went downstairs, I was greeted by the sounds of Annabel in the middle of a tantrum that ranked 6.5 on the Richter scale.

"NO! I said I don't wanna!" Annabel shrieked, throwing herself off of the couch. Although school was starting in an hour, Anna was still in her pajamas. Her hair was uncombed, and she was flailing on the floor. An equally rumpled Blaine was kneeling beside her, trying desperately to quiet her. His attempts at soothing her seemed to be useless, and his voice deepened in frustration.

"Annabel Brooke Anderson," Blaine said in a tense voice, "If you do not get up this instant and finish dressing, there are going to be big consequences." Anna ignored him and continued to cry. Her face was scrunched up as she writhed on the ground, screaming as if she was being burned alive.

"No! I don't want—"

"Annabel, I do not care what you want. It is time for school, and that is final. Get up _now_. Don't make me count to three." Blaine commanded. I remained in the doorway, as I had not been noticed yet. I felt out of place, like I was intruding on a private moment. When Blaine began to count, Annabel whipped herself up, and stormed down the stairs.

"You're mean!" She yelled, slamming the door as she left. Blaine, still oblivious to my presence, slumped back against the couch. He held his head in his hands, obviously worn out from the conflict. I walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Tough morning?" I asked.

"You have no idea. Sorry you had to see that." He slowly stood up, turning towards me. "That is why I keep Anna on a strict diet. Too much sugar and she becomes a monster. I was lax yesterday and let her eat a few pieces of her Halloween candy. I should have expected this," He groaned, and gestured to himself. "I still haven't had time to get dressed. We've already gone through this process three times. I'm going to go finish getting her dressed. You don't need to wait for us; we're running late as it is."

"Want me to make you a cup of coffee to go? You look like you could use it."

"You are an angel," Blaine said, squeezing my hand before returning downstairs. Though his words were innocent, I couldn't fight the smile that erupted on my face. Still, I worried about how Blaine was holding up. He had been having a hard enough week as it was, and now he had a fussy kid to deal with.

I tried to assuage my worries by immersing myself in my work. I had left before Blaine, so I didn't see him all day. My classes were particularly rambunctious and midway through second period I developed a pounding headache. At lunchtime Blaine, Sebastian, Mike and Brittany had planned to meet with me to finalize the cast list. Just as I was about to walk over to the Dining Hall, however, Headmaster Douglass pulled me aside.

The Headmaster's office was all the way across campus, so I knew he couldn't be just passing by. After everything Puck had told me about what he had overheard, seeing Headmaster Douglass head my way made my stomach flip in anxiety.

"Ah, Mr. Hummel. It's been a while since we've talked, hasn't it? Do you mind if I steal you away for a moment? I'd like to discuss something with you." Headmaster Douglass was an elderly man, possibly older than Puck, and his height made him even more intimidating. I gulped.

"I was just heading to a meeting with the rest of the department," I explained. "Do you mind if I text them to let them know I'll be late?" Mr. Douglass nodded, and I quickly texted Blaine to let him know that they could finish up without me. I placed my phone back in my pocket and followed Mr. Douglass to his office. We made small talk the way there, but it was hard for me to focus. What if this was it? What if he had agreed with Sebastian and now I was going to be fired after only three months of employment? The panic burbled up inside of me. He was a very busy man, why on Earth would he waste his time talking to me unless it was serious?

We entered his office, and I sat down as he walked behind his desk.

"So, Mr. Hummel. How are you liking Lake Vermont?" He began, smiling warmly. I tried to relax my breathing and began.

"I love it, sir." I begin, and before I know it I'm babbling off about my students. Honestly, I could talk for days. They were all so different, each bringing something new to the table. Working at Lake Vermont had been everything I could have hoped for. I'd just begun to mention the Fiddler auditions when Mr. Douglass cut me off.

"As much as I love hearing about your students, I did bring you here for a reason." He said, carefully. "When I hired you, I received a lot of flak from the alumni. No one really thought that it was wise of me to hire a first year teacher as a department head."

He stared at me intently, and I maintained his gaze. Inside, I was quaking, but I kept up the façade of confidence.

"It seemed that some of the faculty was concerned as well. I've had people come to me on more than one occasion. But I stand by my decision." He smiled then, and gestured to the walls of his office. They were covered with pictures of past graduating classes. "I'm here for the kids. We all are, when it comes down to it. I hired you because I believed that you would love these students as much as I do. In the few months that you've been part of the Lake Vermont community, you've already done more to bring together the students and faculty then the old department head managed to do in twenty years. This play is only the beginning."

I smiled, about to thank him, when he began again.

"I had a student come to me today. One of your students actually, Valerie Bradley?" He smiled at my look of recognition before continuing. "Valerie came to me to ask if I would allow him to wear the boys' uniform instead of the girls'. Then he asked me if he could ask the teachers to say 'he' instead of 'she'. Were you aware of this?" He looked up expectantly. I tried to decipher whether or not this had bothered him, but his face was unreadable.

"I knew that Valerie was questioning, but I didn't know that—"

"I said yes, of course," He said, cutting me off. "I was most intrigued however, as to why he had decided to come to me now. Do you know what he said? He said that he hadn't been comfortable in his body for a long time, but that a conversation with you had helped him realize he didn't need to hide." He paused after that, but I was speechless. I'd had no idea that anything I said had impacted Valerie that much. I was delighted that he was finally finding the courage to do these things, although part of me worried that Blaine might have been right.

"I invited you to my office today because I wanted to thank you. It's impossible for me to know every student at this school. As hard as I try, I can't fix everything. But it gives me so much hope for these students when they come to me, like Valerie did today."

"I didn't say anything to him, really." I explained, "I just listened to what he had to say."

"Sometimes, listening is what we need the most." He smiled then, a big grin that exploded off of his face and on to mine. "I'm sure you need to get going soon, but keep me posted, will you?"

I assured him I would before leaving his office. I had missed lunch and my headache had returned, but I was uplifted. Maybe, now that the Headmaster was on his side, Valerie would be safe. Maybe Blaine was wrong, and we didn't need to worry.

When I approached my classroom, I got stuck behind a swarm of students. They were all crowded around a bulletin board, so I assumed that Sebastian had posted the cast list already. We had made most of the decisions already, so I wasn't that surprised when I scanned over all of the names. There were only two people that we hadn't agreed on beforehand, so I quickly searched to see who they had chosen for Motel and Yente. That's when I saw it.

**Motel Kamzoil—Valerie Bradley**

I didn't know what to think. Had Blaine changed his mind? I wanted to track him down and ask what had happened, but a glance at my watch reminded me that class was starting soon. I hurried into my room, which was chaos already. My students had all seen the cast list and were still in the process of freaking out. One of my senior girls, Justine, ran up to me and engulfed me in a hug.

"Mr. Hummel! I did it!" She squealed.

"You were remarkable at auditions," I replied. "Besides, you were born to play Chava." I could tell that my students were way too excited to get to work, so we spent the period discussing the show and our rehearsal schedule. Blaine and I had decided to wait until after Thanksgiving break to start rehearsing, but we would hand out scripts later that week so that they could start memorizing lines over break.

The rest of my day passed in a similar fashion, with not much getting done. Everyone seemed to be excited about the casting, and so far we were relatively drama free. I was worried that they would ask why Valerie had gotten a boy's part, but so far it hadn't come up. I wouldn't see Valerie until tomorrow, but I had a feeling that he would be just as happy about the casting.

I arrived home to the smell of something heavenly. Blaine was messing around in the kitchen while Annabel colored at the table. "Kurt?" Blaine called out as I entered the kitchen. "Oh, you're home. Are you hungry? I made vegan stir-fry,"

This was new. Blaine and I never ate dinner together, except on Fridays when he would make homemade pizza for the three of us. It look delicious, so I quickly grabbed a few plates to set the table with.

"So," I began, when we were all beginning to eat. "I saw the cast list today. What made you change your mind?"

"I talked to Valerie this morning," he answered. "He told me that he was planning on telling his mom when he goes home for Thanksgiving. The last time I talked to Valerie he was so shy, so scared. He just seemed so confident today, and I knew he deserved this. And then he said that he talked to Headmaster Douglass today. He's asking all of the teachers to say "him". I guess I realized how wrong I was. Valerie needs us, you know? You were right."

This was even bigger than I'd thought it was. Not only had Valerie asked to change uniforms, but he was planning on telling his mother and already coming out to the school. This was exciting, but Blaine had planted the seed of doubt in me the night before.

"Are you sure? You seemed deadest against it yesterday. I'm just surprised you changed your mind so fast."

"Valerie deserved that part. That's what it comes down to, in the end. I just don't feel right—"

"Today, at school, I got to feed Snuffles!" Annabel exclaimed. She had been waiting for Blaine and I to finish our discussion but it seemed that she had lost her patience. "The snake, remember Daddy?"

"Honey, don't interrupt," Blaine scolded gently, smiling at me apologetically before turning to her.

"Sorry," She said around a bite of broccoli. "But, it was cool! And he ate it in one bite, like this!" She exclaimed, trying to swallow her huge mouthful without chewing.

"Anna!" Blaine yelped, patting her back as she coughed. "Snakes can eat in one bite, but little girls need to chew their food!"

"I'm not little, I'm gonna be five soon!" She whined.

"True enough, love. Oh, and Jesse's mom called me today. She invited you to his house on Saturday. He's having a birthday party, I believe. Do you want to go to the store tomorrow to pick out his present before the party?" When Annabel nodded eagerly, Blaine turned to me.

"I was thinking that maybe we could do something," He said nervously, "While Anna is at the party. If you're free, that is."

"I'd love to." I answered with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, you'll see," He said with a flirty wink, before Annabel dominated the conversation again.


	11. Chapter 11

I was sitting in my office looking over my Fiddler notes when Sebastian came to me on Friday. "So. You and Anderson?" He sounded vaguely uninterested, but I could see the irritation in his face as he closed my door behind him.

"Excuse me?" I replied tersely. Sebastian smirked, a face that I equated with a constipated meerkat.

"Blaine changed his mind at the last second about Valerie. Either you're blowing him or—"

"Sebastian," I interjected, "I want you to think long and hard about what you're about to say. Like it or not, I'm your superior and that could be construed as sexual harassment." I set down my script and motioned for Sebastian to have a seat. "Look, I know you don't like me. To be honest, I don't care for you either. But we are working together now, and I'm not going to let our problems get in the way of this production. It's not fair for the kids."

"Fine." Sebastian flopped down in the chair. "You're right, I'll give you that. Besides, I had some thoughts about Fiddler."

Surprisingly enough, Sebastian and I worked rather well together when we weren't arguing. We spent the rest of the period consulting each other on ideas. Slowly but surely, the play was beginning to take form.

"Yeah, I think this is going to be great. I'm really—I mean, _we're_ really good at this." I knew this was as close to an apology as Sebastian would ever get, so I nodded with a smile as he left my office. He seemed to be realizing that arguing was counterproductive, and I certainly wasn't going to waste any more energy. Part of me knew that this was only because Blaine had picked me. I knew that I probably wouldn't have reacted as well if it was him going out with Blaine, so I had to admire the fact that Sebastian was handling this semi-maturely.

Saturday afternoon, Blaine dropped Anna off at her friend's house. She had been invited to spend the night, so we would have the night to ourselves. I hadn't been on a first date in ages. In fact, it was hard to remember the last time I had dressed up for a date. My last boyfriend hadn't been one for going out, which made finding something to wear even more challenging.

Luckily, the November weather allowed for a scarf, so I was able to wear my brand new Dolce and Gabbana. It had cost entirely too much, but it was gorgeous enough that I didn't feel too guilty.

Blaine went all out; he even stepped outside before we left so that he could ring the doorbell. "Why hello, Kurt. Is your father home?"

"Blaine, stop it. I feel like I'm back in high school!" I laughed as we walked to his car

"What's on the agenda for tonight?"

"Well," Blaine said, "I thought we could do the classic date, dinner and a movie. There's this theater on the outskirts of town that has tables. They have great Italian food and they're screening _Two For The Road_ tonight."

Blaine was one of those super focused drivers. He had his hands properly at ten and two, and he stared intently at the road. We drove in silence, but it wasn't suppressive or awkward at all. Blaine was breathtakingly gorgeous, as usual. His hair was only slightly styled, allowing his curls some much needed freedom from their daytime oppression.

When we pulled up to the theater, Blaine hurried to open the passenger door for me. It reminded me of my teenage years, when I had daydreamed about finding a boy who would do just that. Life had made me jaded over the years, but just moments with Blaine and I was already losing some of my cynicism.

The theater was small and run down, which only added to its charm. It was eclectically designed, probably more for practicality than aesthetics. The mismatching tablecloths and chairs were visually appealing however, and I was even more impressed by Blaine's choice. The tables were scattered around the room facing a huge white wall where the movie would be projected.

"Annabel and I came here once before and saw Matilda." Blaine said as we got settled in. "I've wanted to come back since."

The theater was empty apart from us, so we were given menus and served almost instantly after ordering.

"I'll let you get started on your meal. We'll see if anyone else shows up, but the movie will probably start in the next thirty minutes or so. We'll bring out a desert menu half-way through," The waitress explained before scurrying away.

I had always felt awkward and jittery with nerves on first dates, but it was different with Blaine. I suppose it had something to do with the fact that I saw him almost every day. There was no shortage of conversation, although we struggled to stop mentioning Fiddler. We were both excited about the play, which made it even more difficult to put work behind us.

"Why did you decide to be a teacher?" Blaine asked in between bites of pasta. "I know Rachel said something about you guys taking acting classes together. Why did you change your mind?"

"I'd always wanted to act. I dreamed of Broadway and the like, but then freshman year at NYU I had to get a part-time job. Rachel was working at Ellen's, so at first I applied there, but they didn't need anyone. I found a job at a middle school in the Bronx assisting a drama teacher with her after school program. The school had almost no funding, and the pay was terrible, but it was worth it. Acting had always been about _me_, what I could get out of it, how it made me feel. But working with those kids it was like I was finally making a difference. I saw so many kids fall as in love with the stage as I had, and I just knew." Blaine beamed at me, nodding vigorously.

"Exactly. The kids make it worth the crappy pay check," he teased. "I was a private vocal coach earlier on, but I much prefer Lake Vermont. It's a lot more rewarding."

The conversation drifted on casually for a while before the lights were dimmed. The projector flickered to life as the film started.

Audrey Hepburn was a goddess; there was no doubt about that. _Two For The Road_ had always been one of my favorites, second only to _Breakfast at Tiffany's._ I was quickly immersed in the movie, only slightly distracted by the game of footsie that Blaine had initiated. A part of me was embarrassed at the juvenile behavior, but I quickly brushed that aside. Blaine had a way of making me release my inhibitions and simultaneously making me feel fifteen again.

And the fifteen year old inside of me was very much in favor of taking advantage of the near empty theater. I was reacquainting myself with Blaine's mouth when we were disrupted by a shrill beeping.

"Shit." Blaine mumbled as he unattached himself from me begrudgingly, "I forgot to turn off my cell." He looked down to silence it, eyes widening.

"It's Jesse's mom, probably just checking in about Anna. But she's never spent the night there before, so…" He looked at me sheepishly.

"You can answer it, Blaine," I reassured him. "I don't mind at all."

"Sorry!" He looked around the abandoned theater before answering his phone, "Hello?"

I was only half paying attention to his phone call when Blaine jerked to his feet, almost knocking over my chair in the process.

"Where are you?" He demanded frantically, "Is she okay? Did you call an ambulance?"

Blaine was pulling out his wallet and paying in an instant. His frenzied actions left the waitress in a panic, trying to give him his change as he raced out the door. I followed after him quickly as he barked into his cell.

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can." He replied before tossing his phone onto the dashboard and starting the car.

"What happened? Is Annabel okay?" I asked, now slightly hysterical myself.

"Annabel fell off of Jesse's top bunk. His mom thinks her arm's broken." Blaine snapped, already speeding down the road. "She's fine. They took her to the minor emergency clinic. I'm just kind of freaking out, if you couldn't tell."

"I broke my wrist when I was seven. She's probably fine," I reached out to Blaine, squeezing his thigh reassuringly.

"I know. I've just always been there when things happen. And now she needs me, and I'm not there, and she's probably scared, and—"

"It's going to be fine. She has Jesse's parents, and you're on your way. Knowing Anna, she's probably enjoying the attention. Now, will you please stop driving like a crazy person? You can't exactly help her if you're getting pulled over for speeding."

"You're right, you're right." Blaine sighed, slowing down slightly. "I'm just a worrier. You should have seen me when she was born. Anna was premature, and I swear I didn't sleep for the entire two weeks that she was in the hospital."

"How far away is the clinic?" I asked, still unfamiliar with the area.

"We're almost there, thank god. They can't treat Anna until I fill out all the paper work and show her insurance." Sure enough, we were soon pulling into the parking lot. Blaine ran into the lobby, almost forgetting to lock the car behind him. It was slightly disorienting to see Blaine switch from the goofy man I had been making out with fifteen minutes prior to Daddy so quickly.

"Hi, Daddy," Anna sniffled from her perch on Jesse's mother's lap. "I falled down."

"Oh, baby," Blaine rushed to her side, inspecting the damage immediately.

"Mr. Anderson? If you could just fill out this form, please, and you and Anna can come with me," A nurse handed him a clipboard and led them to a hallway.

"Thank you so much for bringing her," Blaine said to Jesse's mother, "But I think I've got it from here." He scooped up Anna, careful not to jostle her arm as he followed the nurse.

I sat down next to Jesse's mother, who looked a little shaken up.

"I'd like to stay, just to make sure everything's fine. Jesse's with his dad, so I don't have to hurry back," She told me.

"Of course," I assured her. "I'm Kurt Hummel, by the way."

"Laura St. James," she shook my hand tightly, "I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

"Anna absolutely raves about you. She's been bragging about her new friend Mr. Kurt for weeks," Laura said with a laugh, "She told us all about the costume you made her for Halloween. Jesse was a tad jealous. I can't sew at all."

"I don't think you would be that impressed if you had seen it," I laughed, "I literally just revamped a ballerina costume. I may have gone a tad overboard with sequins, but in my defense I hadn't designed anything since my junior prom. Somehow, I was under the impression that kilts were the epitome of couture,"

"Tell me about it!" Laura laughed, "I wore the ugliest sea foam green dress to my prom. I still cringe when I even think about it!"

Laura and I exchanged fashion mishaps for a while before she changed the subject with a sly smile. "You know, Jesse and Anna have been friends for a while. So I like to think I know Blaine pretty well."

"Oh?"

"He's usually a pretty private person. And I respect that, so I try not to pry. But he's not here, and I'm _dying _to know…"

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like where this is going?" I looked at her intently before relenting. "Okay, fine. What is it?"

"You guys were on a date, right? That's why he insisted that Anna spend the night after the party?"

"He did_ what_?" This was certainly news to me. "I thought that she was invited to a sleepover!"

"Oh, please, like I would let twenty munchkins sleep in my house. Look at what happened when I just had two!" Laura laughed, gesturing to the clinic lobby. "But back to my point. You were on a date, right?"

"Well, yes." I tried to keep the grin off of my face, but I was probably smiling like a lunatic.

"Oh my God, that's awesome! I've been trying to get Blaine to date for years, you have no idea." She began, babbling excitedly. "And then Anna kept talking about you, and I knew _something _was going on—"

"Mr. Kurt!" Annabel burst through the door into the lobby, Blaine trailing behind her. "I got a pink cast! Daddy signed it, and you have to now!"

Anna thrust her left arm into my lap. It was encased in hot pink plaster, with _Daddy_ scrawled on in black sharpie. "And I got a sticker, because I didn't even bite the doctor this time!"

I raised an eyebrow, storing the information so I could as Blaine about it later. I took the proffered sharpie and signed my name with a flourish, right next to Blaine's.

"Thank you for staying, Laura," Blaine said, engulfing the woman in a hug. "I'm sorry I flipped out at you earlier."

"Hey, hey now, none of that," Laura brushed of his apology, adding, "I'm just sorry we interrupted you. From what Kurt tells me, you were having _quite _an enjoyable night."

Blaine flushed bright red, shoving at her shoulder playfully. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Besides, Anna needs to get home so she can sleep."

Annabel was asleep within minutes of being buckled into her car seat. All of the action had worn her out completely, and Blaine carried her to bed as soon as we got home.

"Oh my God. That was crazy." Blaine moaned as he flopped onto the couch next to me. "And, I must say not the way I imagined our first date going."

"Well, at least our first date was unforgettable, right?"

"True." Blaine laughed, cuddling into my side. "Thanks for helping me calm down. I don't know if I would have gotten there in one piece without you."

"Laura seems nice." I mused as I ran my fingers through Blaine's curls.

"Yeah, she's great. Most of the parents at Anna's school kind of look down on us because I'm so young. I mean, most just assume that I knocked up someone when I was in college. Laura's the one of the only ones who doesn't judge. And Anna's been friends with Jesse for ages, so it works out." Blaine slowly pulled himself out of my arms, looking up at me. "I had such great plans for tonight. I was even going to take you out for ice cream."

"You're a dork." I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"I guess I'm lucky I'm so cute then, right?" He said with a smirk. "And while we can't quite take advantage of the empty house as planned, I was thinking…"

"And what, pray tell, were you thinking?"

"Well, in keeping with the theme of our date, I was thinking we could make out on the couch like teenagers." Blaine winked at me mischievously.

"You're a dork," I repeated, before pulling him into my lap and kissing him senseless.


	12. Chapter 12

Blaine and I drove to the airport together on Tuesday. I was flying back to Ohio for Thanksgiving weekend, and Blaine was visiting his parents in California with Annabel.

"Daddy? Are we going to get to watch a movie on the plane?" Anna asked from her car seat.

"I'm bringing my iPad, so you can watch whatever we have on there." Blaine said before turning to me. "I'm kind of wary of going home," He said in a low voice, "Anna hasn't been around Brooke since she got a new boyfriend. I'm nervous to see how she'll react."

Looking back in my rear view mirror, I saw that Anna had gone back to coloring and wasn't paying attention. "Does she know who Brooke is?"

"I don't think so. I just always get nervous before family things. Thanks for driving us, by the way. I really appreciate it," Blaine took my hand in his. "I know it's only four days, but I'm really going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too. It'll be weird not seeing you and Anna every day."

All too soon we were arriving at the airport. Blaine and I were taking different airlines, so we said goodbye before going through security. Saying goodbye to Anna was the hardest part. She started crying when I hugged her. I knew that this was mainly because she was sleepy so she was irritated to begin with, but seeing her cry made my heart hurt. Anna had wiggled her way into my heart, and in a way, I would probably miss her more than Blaine.

* * *

><p>When I arrived at the Columbus airport, Dad and Carole were waiting for me.<p>

"Hey, Kiddo!" Dad said as he hugged me, "I thought for sure that your plane would be delayed."

"I lucked out this time! Which is awesome, because I promised I'd help Carole finish making the pies." Carole and I hadn't cooked together in a while, but I always enjoyed it. She was one of those people that didn't find the need to fill every moment with words. She listened to me, and sometimes we just enjoyed each other's ' company in silence.

"Well in that case, I guess we'd better get back home!" My dad said, grinning at the thought of our home-maid pies. Carole let Dad slack on his diet during the holidays, which meant that he'd actually get to eat them.

Carole and I went to the kitchen as soon as I had dropped off my bags in my old bedroom. Finn was still at the shop closing up for the week, so it was just us and Dad. We quickly shooed him into the living room to watch TV. As we began making the crusts, Carole gave me a look. I was rather familiar with that look, as I had been on the receiving end of it almost every time I started a relationship with someone.

"It's Blaine." I blurted, not looking at her. "We're dating now."

She just hummed, mixing the dough.

"I... It's still recent. That's why I didn't say anything until now." This was true. When Blaine had first kissed me, I had wanted to wait before saying anything. It was so exciting and new, and I didn't want to have to put it into words. And now... I didn't want to have to explain myself. I knew that my parents would be okay with it, happy even. But I doubted they would understand how serious it felt, even though it had been only a few weeks. By dating Blaine, I felt like I was tying myself to his life and to Annabel. I didn't love him yet, but I knew that I would. But Annabel? Annabel I had been in love with from the moment she ran into my life. She was the sweetest child I had ever met, even on her worst days. She made me feel paternal, which wasn't something I should be feeling after only being in a relationship with her father for such a short time.

"That's nice." Carole said while she cracked an egg.

"It's just... I don't know if I'm ready for a serious relationship after Lewis."

"You and Lewis ended things amicably. I don't think that's what's really bugging you." Carole said softly. "It's Anna, isn't it?"

"Blaine's an amazing father. Anna's just perfect. I mean, I've always loved kids, but it's different with Anna. When Blaine and I went out for the first time, Anna got hurt. We had to go pick her up at a clinic because she broke her arm. I was so scared. I... I really care about her. Is that weird?"

"When I met your father, I knew that you two were a package deal." Carole said slowly, "Just like me and Finn. I thought that it would take a while for me to think of you like family, if I ever did."

"How long did it take?"

"The first time I found out about the bullying, I cried. Burt and I weren't very serious at the time, but you already had a special place in my heart." Carole blinked a little, brushing back tears. "I loved you, and I wanted to protect you from the world. It was different than the way I loved Finn, because I knew him better, but the emotion was the same."

"I'm scared," I admitted, "I'm terrified that Blaine and I will break up. I don't want Anna to get close to me and then be devastated when we end things."

"Have you talked to Blaine about it?"

"I think we should preheat the oven," I changed the subject. Carole just smiled, knowing that I had said all that I was comfortable saying. We continued to bake, Carole humming along to the radio.

Our conversation had unsettled me. I wanted to talk to Blaine, and I knew that we should, but I worried. I didn't want Blaine to think that I was trying to push him into some sort of commitment. That wasn't it at all. I just needed to know that Blaine had discussed it with Annabel, that he realized how confusing our break up could be to Annabel. I wasn't even sure if Anna knew that we were dating, or if she still thought we were friends.

When Finn got home, I was easily distracted. Finn's energy was contagious, and soon we were all laughing our asses off at stories from the shop. The next few days pass in the same way, with the perfect combination of food and family.

* * *

><p>Thursday after dinner, we were all watching the game on TV when Blaine called.<p>

"You gonna answer that?" Dad asked.

"No, I'll just let it go to voice mail. I don't want to miss this." I said. In truth, I wasn't watching the game, but being with my family was so nice that I didn't want to miss a second of it.

"Kurt," Carole said, "Isn't there a time difference? Have you talked to him at all since you got here?"

Before I could answer, Dad jutted in. "Just answer it, Kurt. The game will still be here when you get back." I smiled, heading to my room so that I could call Blaine without disturbing anyone from the game.

"Blaine?"

"Hey, Kurt!" Blaine said, voice crackling with static. "I've missed you. How was your Thanksgiving?"

"It's gone well. We just finished eating and were watching football. How're you?" I flopped down on my bed to get more comfortable.

"Well, Brooke and my mother got into a huge argument, so thing have been tense. Brooke's new boyfriend is an asshole, so that's not fun either. Anna and I have been running errands all day just because I don't want her to be around him." Blaine sounded exhausted, and I wished that we were together so that I could hold him.

"What did he do?"

"I'm guessing Richard knows that Anna is Brooke's daughter, because he keeps saying these things. Like, that if she were his daughter, she wouldn't be running around in a pair of boy's sneakers. Or, any child of his wouldn't be allowed to sit with the adults while they're talking. He's belittling me, and I feel like shit." Blaine sniffled, obviously trying to hide the fact that he was crying. "I try so hard to be a good father, but it's like I can never be good enough. I hate it."

"Blaine, you are a good father. You love Anna unconditionally and you try every day to do what's best for her. Just because some douchebag is trying to convince your sister that he's worth sleeping with doesn't mean that you're a bad parent." I sighed, angry that this guy was adding to Blaine's insecurities.

"I know. It's not a big deal, it was just annoying." Blaine yawned. "Sorry, it's kind of late here. I was going to call when Anna was awake so she could say hi, but I didn't want to interrupt your dinner."

"About that," I said, taking a deep breath, "When we get back, we need to talk."

"What?" Blaine snapped, shock evident in his voice, "I thought you liked Anna!"

"Whoa, Blaine, calm down! Of course I love Anna, that's not what I meant." I reassured him, "I meant that I think we need to talk about how Anna is going to fit into all of this. She's a big part of your life."

"So you're not breaking up with me?"

"No, of course not. I'm not getting rid of you after how long it took to get you." I chuckled.

* * *

><p>As soon as my plane landed on Vermont soil, it was back to work. Now that vacation was over, rehearsals for Fiddler would start. Blaine and I stayed up late the night before to get everything ready. For our first rehearsal, we were just going to do a read through. Sebastian and I wouldn't make any corrections apart from pronunciation, and we would skip the music entirely.<p>

We met on the stage in the Performing Arts Center after school on Monday. Sebastian and I handed out scripts, which Blaine and I had spent the night before putting into binders. The kids each got a binder and a highlighter, and after quick introductions we began our first cold read.

Reading a script with my cast for the first time was always my favorite part of the plays I did in high school and college. It's your first impression of what the play will be, of how everyone will interpret their character. Most of the time, you don't know everyone you're working with very well, so it's always amazing to see what they plan on bringing to the table. It's the first time you really get a feel for your character and the way you interact with those around you. It's an amazing part of the process.

I was shocked to see how well the kids were working together already. They were already taking risks, trying out different things to see what worked. Sebastian and I were impressed.

Although presumably everyone had seen the cast list, I was surprised at the number of people who reacted when Valerie read his first line for Motel. While no one said anything at the time, I saw quite a number of confused faces.

"Mr. Hummel?" Olivia asked me after rehearsal. She played Bielke and was one of the few freshmen in the cast. "Why's Motel played by a girl?"

"Valerie was the best person for the part." I told her, "And the theater has a rich history of gender-neutral casting. Did you know that all of Shakespeare's plays were performed by men originally?"

That seemed to satisfy her, and I knew that Valerie would answer any questions that were presented to him politely. Hopefully that would be the extent of any issues that the cast had with Valerie.

After rehearsal, Sebastian and I went to Puck's workshop to see what his kids had made so far. We'd decided on a simple set, which Puck had helped me sketch out a week prior. There would be wheeled walls that could be shifted for each scene change, as well as the normal painted backdrops. I thought that our idea was pretty great, especially since one of the walls would have a platform for the fiddler to play on. They were all pointed, so that they could appear like either the inside or outside of a house depending on the scene.

Puck hadn't managed to get much started, but his students had begun nailing together the platforms that each piece would sit on. We stopped for a while to chat, so it was pretty late before I finally got back home.

Blaine had already put Anna to bed, and he was scribbling on sheet music on the couch when I came in. I set my coat in the closet before walking over to him, snuggling beside him.

"You're back late," He commented.

"Yeah, Sebastian and I went to look at Puck's set and we got distracted. We all ended up talking for a few hours."

"Do you still want to talk about Anna? We haven't really had time since we got back." Blaine put aside his papers and curled up against me.

I sighed, pulling apart from him. "Yeah, we should talk."

"What exactly do we need to talk about?" He asked, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Does Anna know we're dating?" I asked bluntly. "Let's start with that."

"I told her that I like you," Blaine answered, blushing slightly, "When she asked why we were going to dinner together, but I didn't tell her in specific terms. I've haven't actually dated anyone since she was born. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to go about this."

"I don't know that it's particularly important, yet." I said, speaking slowly so that I had time to think about what I was going to say, "I think it's important that she be comfortable. We've got to consider her before we continue. I'm not in any way trying to tell you how to parent. I'm just… I worry that it would be hard for her if we broke up after she and I had gotten close."

Blaine frowned, his eyebrows pinching together. "I don't want to do anything that could harm her. She's first in my life, before everything. That's why I haven't dated, because I don't want her to ever feel like she's not enough. If I didn't feel like we had a chance, I wouldn't be dating you in the first place." He looked me in the eyes, almost pleading. "But you have to tell me the truth, Kurt. If you don't think that we'd last, or if you don't want to, we should just stop now, before she has a chance to get hurt."

"I'm a cynic. I never think anything will last, but I can honestly say that I feel differently towards you than I've ever felt for another guy. That's saying something, considering the fact that we haven't even had sex yet."

Blaine's face was bright pink now, and he cautiously looked away from my eyes. "Is that something else we need to talk about? Sex?"

I wasn't sure what Blaine was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"Um. I haven't… I haven't had sex in a long time. A really long time." Blaine admitted, face aflame with mortification. "I'm kind of nervous."

"Blaine," I said, taking his hands in mine, "I'm willing to go as fast or as slow as you need. It doesn't matter to me."

"Sex doesn't matter to you?" Blaine asked, shocked. "At all?"

"I would love to have sex with you." I assured him, "But I'm certainly not going to judge if you'd rather wait. That will just make it even better when it does happen."

Blaine smiled, practically pouncing me with his hug. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

"I try."


End file.
